Valentine's Collage

Hi!  Today's card is a new technique for me.  The clean and simple challenge on SplitCoastStampers yesterday was the collage technique.  I LOVE the way collage looks, but I have always been intimidated by it.  So, I jumped in with both feet!

This is also a one layer card, another thing that intimidates me :)  A white card base, festive berries Distress Ink for the masked circle, Simon Says Stamp music heart stamp in Crimson Red from Versafine and various stamps from TPC Studio.  I rounded the corners to finish.

This was fun!  I think I'll try it again.  Oh, if you're thinking I've lost my mind because I'm making Valentine's Day cards already, my mind was gone long ago.  But Operation Write Home's Midweek Throwdown is to make a Valentine's Day card.  The deadline for getting Valentine's cards to the shippers is December 31st.

Our quote for the day:  "There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day."  - Alexander Woolcott

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Paper Smooches Thanks

Hi!  Today's card was made with a free digital image from Paper Smooches.   I love this little bird.  She is so ecclectic and that's what I love about her.  I've looked at her so many times and just haven't come up with something that I thought was her style...until now  :)

This paper is from DCWV, the mainstreet stack, and I have had it for quite some time.  I really love it with this sweet lttle bird.  I added washi tape from Tim Holtz and from K&Co and a gem for her eye. 

I went with a thanks sentiment (also downloaded from Paper Smooches) because they have a giveaway going on their blog.  You have to make a thank you card and will be entered into a drawing for some SWEET winter/snowmen stamps.  I LOVE snow people.  :) 

Our quote for the day:  "LOVE is such a big word, it really should have more letters."  - Kobi Yamada

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Distress Markers

Hi!   This sweet Lawn Fawn fox card was made a couple weeks ago, but I hadn't gotten to share it.  It's a very simple card, but I like that about it.

 I colored the little fox and his hot chocolate cup with distress markers on watercolor paper.  I really like using the markers this way.  After putting the color down, I took a water brush and blended the colors. His tail has white fun flock on it.     The papers are Basic Grey and I added a piece of fiber.  Easy as hot chocolate. :)

This second card was made for the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge and Ways to Use It challenge which was all about embossing. I LOVE embossing, both heat and dry.  Anyway, back to the card.  I used old Scenic Route paper and a Stampendous stamp that I love!  The poppies were colored with distress markers on watercolor paper.  The watercolor paper is pretty thick and when I cut it this small it started curling on the edges.  This is what made me decide to stitch the corners.  The red panel is the one I dry embossed with a dot embossing folder.

Quote for the day:  "If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be."  - Maya Angelou

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Sketch Challenges

Hi - I have two cards today that are based on sketch challenges. 

The first one uses Freshly Made Sketches #58.  One of the additional challenges playing along with Freshly Made Sketches is that they ask that you keep your cards "clean lined and fresh".  I try not to ink edges when I play along with this one too.  It's a great challenge blog and you can find them here.

 My first card uses a SWEET stamp  from Stampendous called Little Angels.  :)  This card also goes along with the Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown, celebrate friendship.  I  used paper from my stash.  :)

My second card is based on the Operation Write Home sketch #143.  This is a really fun sketch.  At first I was intimidated by it, but as I went along I like it more and more.  I think I will be using this one again too.

Quote for the day:  "Be the person your dog thinks you are."  :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Weekend Project

Hi - I don't have a card to share with you today, but I do have pictures of our weekend project.  I LOVE pinterest and I found a picture of a headboard that I loved so of course I pinned it.  :)

Ben needed a headboard so I decided to make it for his room.  I hope he doesn't wonder why we didn't make it before he left for college.  In our defense, we were at soccer, softball and volleyball tournaments every weekend.  :)  That's my story and I'm sticking to it! 

We have a fence that is falling apart, but the fence boards have so much character, so we used our fenceboards.  This first  picture is raw wood.

 This picture is after he first coat of varnish.  I used water based varnish in satin sheen.  I don't like oil based products and I don't like shinyness.  :)

 This picture is after the 2nd coat of varnish.  The directions say to use 3 coats and then let the  piece cure for 7 days.  We will see if I'm that patient.  I've already been into Ben's room quite a few times to try to visualize it!  Yes, I have sent Ben pictures of his new headboard.  :)

Our quote for the day:  "Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess, just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best."

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Can't get Much Brighter :)

I don't often use really bright colors although I really like them.  Most of the time my colors are a little more subtle and I ink edges most of the time too.  This card however is more outside of my norm.  I started with this really cute little stamp and I could only imagine it on bright colors.

I keep a collection of cards I have made so I can use them as inspiration.  I try to make at least 2 cards when I'm making them, really how much harder is it to make 2 than 1, I already have all the supplies out.  Anyway, one of them usually goes into my inspiration box and often I flip through it for color inspiration, layout inspiration.....just any inspiration.  I used a card I made a LONG time ago for my inspiration and this is what I came up with.  I almost thought I didn't use ribbon, but I did tuck some May Arts jumbo ricrac under the left side of my chevron paper.

3 more cards for Operation Write Home (I made 4 but messed up a bit on one of them so it is going into my inspiration box.)

Quote for the day:  "We must all make the choice between what is right and what is easy."  - Professor Dumbledore

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

OWH Midweek Throwdown

Another Operation Write Home card.  Actually 6 of them, but they are all like this one.  The Midweek Throwdown Color Challenge is to use black and white, with a pop of red or green.  I chose green.  :) 

I really wanted to use a little blue on the snowman and around him for the sky, but I resisted.  :)  However, I couldn't resist his orange nose.  I just couldn't use gray or green for his nose!  This was a really fun challenge and one I think I will use again.  I really like the simplicity of it!

Quote for the day - "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of it's troubles.  It empties today of it's strength."  - Mary Engelbreit

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Have a great day!

Using a 6X6 Paper Pack.....Completely :)

Hi!  There is a tutorial on the Operation Write Home blog on how to use your 6X6 paper pack completely.  I LOVE this idea.  I was trying to figure out what pack I was going to go out and purchase for this tutorial, but then it kind of just hit me.....I have HOW MANY 6X6 paper packs that I have used maybe 2 pieces of paper out of????

I chose Basic Grey's Granola paper pack for my first try.  I wanted to make some masculine cards.  I'm sure I had used a few pieces of paper from the pack, and my paper was not double sided, so I have 1 piece and still a few scraps left over, but I will go back and use those as well.    Here they are all together.

This one uses OWH Sketch #23.

This one uses OWH Sketch #57.

 This one uses OWH Sketch #100.

OWH Sketch #142.

SplitCoastStampers Sketch - SC239.

SplitCoastStampers Sketch - SC240.

This was a FUN challenge to do.  It also helped me get a good start on my next Operation Write Home box.  I think I am going to only  make non holiday cards.  It will take the pressure off me as far as deadlines go and from reading the blog, it sounds like they are needing more general cards.  :) 

Try it, I plan on doing it again!

Quote for the day:  "What a beautiful world it would be if people had hearts like dogs."

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Busy Weekend

Wow!!  It has been a VERY busy weekend for us.  Saturday we laid sod on our front yard!  4 full pallets of sod.....needless to say, I am sore today!  So today I got to play in my craft loft until dinner!  :)

This is the first card I made.  It uses the OWH sketch #142.  I love sketches!! 

 This one uses the Penny Black sketch!  I love Penny Black too.  :)

I took some pictures of our yard as we laid the sod and I think I have a picture of our front yard from when we bought our house.  I hope to share the pics soon! 

Our quote for the day:  "Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you."

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Cards to College

Hi -  Today's cards are ones that I made to send to my college kids.  I LOVE sending packages to them.  Nothing big, just little things that I know they will like or silly things that I think they will have fun with.  Almost always with cookies and/or brownies.  :)

 This one was for Ben and uses Graphic 45 paper, Tim Holtz stamps and some black velvet paper too. :)

This one was for Sara and uses K&Co paper and embellishments and a stamp from All That Scraps.

I made 2 cards today, but haven't taken pictures of them so I can't share them yet.  That will come later.

Our quote for the day:  "Please and thank you are still magic words."

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

The challenge I used today was Cute Card Thursday's challenge to use ribbon.  The challenge I gave myself was not to use as much ribbon as I could, but to use some of the fun, but not so easy ribbons to use.   This is what I came up with.  :)

I have a tendency to use sheer ribbons most often, then solid colored grosgrain ribbons.  I wanted to use some of the really fun ribbons I have bought, but not used.  Simple cards prevailed!  I am very happy with them though. 

Our quote for today:  "God's plans for your life far exceed the circumstances of your day."  - Louise Giglio

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Christmas cards

Well, I found another fun way to be creative!  I had a few "card kits" that I haven't used yet.  I have had them for a few years......no judging please :)

These kits had only a few pieces of cardstock in them and 1 piece of patterened paper.  But that's all I needed to come up with some simple yet sweet cards.  I realized that having a few starting points, such as colors and stamps made it easier to bring the rest of the cards together.  It was really fun!

So, I'm thinking that maybe I will make some "cards kits" with leftover stuff from cards I'm making today.  Then put the kits away for awhile.  When I come back to them, I'm sure I will come up with something totally different from what I made today. 

Our quote for today:  "Worrying is like a rocking chair.  It gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere."

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!