Happy Halloween!

I waited to post this card until my sister got the real thing (she's my most loyal reader, but should have gotten her snail mail by now )!  I actually hadn't planned on making any seasonal cards this October since I still have leftovers from previous Halloweens (they're fun to make, but how many people do you really send them to?)!  When my Mom said she was sending us cards for the holiday, I decided to combine some leftover images I had on hand with a freshly-stamped spider and some paper piecing to create what I hope is a different card from what I sent last year!  Trick or Treat?  Either way, it's the thought that counts!

Supplies:  Stampendous Spider Corn, Stampin' Up Ballet Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White and Basic Black cardstock and markers, greeting and background spiders were stamped images I had in my Halloween stash from years ago, Glossy Accents and Color Spritzer.

Scalloped Christmas Tree

Please forgive my slightly crooked photo!  I saw two cute ideas for Christmas trees on an Operation Write Home tutorial and both were pretty easy to do, but I like this one best.  I simply cut and stamped several scalloped circles, brushing the edges with Illuminate (an iridescent ink that doesn't show up well in this photo but gives a slightly "frosty" look in person) and then laid out and adhered the branches. 

The other tutorial on the website looks more complicated since it involves some origami-like folds, but it really wasn't as hard as I expected. 

Supplies:  Heidi grace designs "Jolly and Bright" patterned paper, a star brad from Recollections which I inked with Versamark and dipped in gold embossing powder, then added some crystal Stickles to make it shine,  Paper Studio wood grain embossing folder for the tree trunk, Spellbinders Nestabilities petite ovals, Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi and Early Espresso cardstock, Illuminate ink, Definitely Decorative Pines stamp set and subtle candy dots for the ornaments. 

Paint Swatch Card

I saw this Paint Swatch card challenge on the Operation Write Home website several weeks ago, but didn't have occasion to go to the hardware store (as suggested) to get the necessary paint swatches.   It only dawned on me recently that I could pick up paint swatches at Walmart where I shop weekly (and often more than once a week)!  I picked up several Glidden paint swatches in color families that appealed to me and put this one to use with the help of my Cricut machine for the die cut greeting and a butterfly stamp which I attempted to color in an ombre fashion to coordinate with the overall effect!

Supplies:  Cricut Calligraphy Collection cartridge (2" letters), Paper Studio Butterflies embossing folder, Stampin' Up Papillon Potpourri butterfly, black pigment ink (embossed), Marina Mist and Bashful Blue cardstock & satin ribbon.

Stars and Stripes

I made an "Any Hero" card for this blog hop, something I want to do more of in the future, to say "thank you" to our American soldiers serving overseas.

 I based my design on OWH Sketch Challenge # 184  (turned sideways).

Supplies:  Paper Studio Outline Stars pattern paper and A2 Stripes embossing folder, PaperTrey Ink Happy Harlequin stamp set, Stampin' Up Night of Navy, Naturals White cardstock, Because I Care sentiment, Night of Navy ink and Finishing Touches Edgelits, a scrap of red paper and Recollections star-shaped brads. 

Happy World Card Making Day, everyone! 

Enjoy the blog hop, here's another link to head you back to the main site.  Thanks for stopping by!

Any Hero preview

I'm really looking forward to World Card Making Day,, October 5th!  

I created five different cards from one 12 x 12 sheet this past week before deciding which one to highlight for tomorrow's  OWH WCMD blog hop extravaganza.  It was hard to decide which sketch challenge turned out best, so I've decided to post a runner-up as a preview today.

This card was inspired by OWH sketch challenge #171.  

It could be used by a soldier writing home from his/her deployment, but in addition to sending blank cards, Operation Write Home also likes to send our troops what they call "Any Hero" mail:  cards written to encourage American men and women serving overseas.  Can you imagine that some soldiers don't get much if any mail from home?  I know I feel like Charlie Brown on days I go to the mailbox and find it empty, but with all the junk mail and bills, that's a rare occurence.  In Kabul or Baghdad it must happen all too often.  So, if you'd like to help, write a soldier an uplifting note and let them know the sacrifice they're making is appreciated.

 Tune in tomorrow for details on a similar card from a different sketch!

Cool Thanks

I'm generally not one to brag (except about my kids, perhaps), so I'm not saying that this card is "cool" as in "hip", but penguins just convey a sense of cool naturally, don't they?  I don't particularly like cold weather, ice or snow, but I love penguins and the slight chill in our morning air reminded me that it's time to get these wintry stamps out (even if I have done lots of birds lately) . . .

I used one of my favorite penguin stamps to create this Thank you note based on OWH sketch 161.  It took some patience, stamping the penguin image repeatedly to create this paper-pieced penguin (say that five times fast!), but when you love something, you're willing to go the extra mile, right?  :)

Supplies:  Magenta penguin with gift stamp, Marvy snowflake punch, Spare Parts mini brads, Spellbinders Nestabiities Petite Ovals, glue dots to make the package stand out and Stampin' Up white embossing powder, sentiment, Basic Black, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight cardstock (sponged lightly with Peach Parfait), Seasonal Borders (mini), and Northern Flurry embossing folder.

More Birds!

I apologize for posting more birds, and promise that this will be the last one (for a while!).  It's not as if I don't have a multitude of other stamps to choose from,  but it just dawned on me why I might have been obsessed with the birds and/or the sad "miss you" cards lately.  As the weather cools off and I look at the calendar and glance around my craft room, I realize that that this painting I have hanging prominently in the wall in front of my work space is a daily reminder of my Dad and his creative artwork.  He would have turned 83 this October 1st if he hadn't had a stroke two years ago this month . . . so it seems my melancholy cards of late have served as something of craft therapy for me!  I made different versions of the bird cards to send my Mom, sister and brother, thinking that they are likely remembering and missing Dad, too.  His birthday was such a big deal to him, it will always be a significant date on my calendar, too.  

Supplies used:  Stampin' Up For the Birds, Square Lattice embossing folder, sentiment (from some old SU! set?), Soft Suede, Naturals White, Baja Breeze cardstock, Pumpkin Pie for his beak and Ruby red for the heart, Creamy Caramel ink for his nest, Comfort Café DSP, Finishing Touches Edgelits plus Paper Studio mini metallic brads.

Here's my inspiration, a painting my Dad made decades ago which he called "Two More Birds"

 
I pledge to come up with something bright and cheerful next time, which is much more along the lines of what my Dad would have created!   Meanwhile, thanks for letting me share.  I expect I'm not the only one who finds healing through making cards to share our love with and for others.

Feeling Blue

I recently made another card with  Stampin' Up's  For the Birds, but when I was trying to decide what to do with Operation Write Home's Sketch Challenge #190 this week, these materials were  still handy!  So, I changed the color scheme to include SU's Baja Breeze, stamped the bird on colored cardstock instead of trying to color him in, paper pieced his wing for a little added dimension and finished the card with Soft Suede and Crumb Cake cardstock, used Cuttlebug Oriental Weave as my embossing folder, a sentiment from There She Goes Penguin Love, and hearts from Cricut Doodlecharms.  The adhesive securing the burlap doesn't stand out that much in person, but it bugs me that it's so obvious in the photo . . . C'est la vie!

This card, though obviously not blue, also seemed appropriate for a missing you card as I made it. I actually found the cute little panda (A Muse Artstamps) in my stash of already stamped (but abandoned) images and decided he needed a home!  I got out my Embossing Arts Co Bamboo stamp, some Gumball Green ink and cardstock, Cuttlebug Oriental Bamboo embossing folder,  and, voilà! he had somewhere to belong -and yet he looked so lonely . . . so I added the sentiment from There She Goes Penguin Love with the SU! word window and modern label punches along with a couple teeny tiny brads and dimensionals.  I hope at least the bright green will cheer someone up and give the little panda company wherever he's sent . . .

I signed up!

Time on my hands

 This past weekend, I had some time on my hands but lacked inspiration, so I went to Pinterest for ideas!  I love my Paper Trey Ink Hands of Time stamp set (and coordinating dies), but wanted to do something different than using a clock as my focal point.  Paper, Scissors and Superheroes came to my rescue!  I only tweaked Betsy Veldman's design a little bit since I loved her original so much!  Thank you for posting this great card, Betsy!  I used Stampin' Up papers and inks, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Marina Mist and Chocolate Chip, plus a generic brass brad and some Versamark on a naturals white card base. 

Happy Birthday, OWH!

Happy Birthday, Operation Write Home! 

I followed sketch 189 as suggested this week, pulling out some pattern papers (that I typically use on scrapbook pages but rarely incorporate in my cards).  I think this paper originated in my Stampin' Up Simply Scrappin' Crew Kids-Boy DSP.  I also used SU! Basic Gray and Old Olive cardstock and ink.  The butterfly is from SU! Papillon Potpourri and the sentiment is a partial from Happiest Birthday wishes (I don't use the "dear you").  The Grass Lines come from Rubber Soul. 

Masking Tape Block Stamping Technique

It took me some time to decide what to create with Operation Write Home's Labor Day Weekend VCMP (Virtual Card Making Party) Challenge #5.  The technique was a fun and easy one to try, I just didn't have a large enough acrylic block to do a larger background, so mine is a small illustration of the technique.  I used an old favorite, my Stampin' Up Fishy Friends along with a simple greeting from Stampabilities Paper Studio, Cuttlebug Wedding Suite embossing folder and some SU! subtle (so saffron) candy dots, Bashful Blue, Marina Mist and So Saffron cardstock, and Marina Mist ink.

For the 4th challenge in the OWH Labor Day weekend VCMP, Annette challenged card makers to use a specific sketch and create a "love' card, one that is versatile for any occasion.  I used Stampin' Up's For the Birds with a sentiment from SU! Monkey Business, crumb cake, cherry cobbler and soft suede cardstock, a woodgrain embossing folder from the Paper Studio, and a piece of burlap from my sister (I think it adds to the nest-y look)! 

Thank You!

Thanks for the positive comments I've received on my first VCMP challenge posting!  I'm still learning to use this blog, uploading photos and linking to the original post, so it's helpful to receive some encouragement along the way! 

While I'm presently stumped on how to proceed with the clever OWH acronym-based challenge from VCMP challenge #2,  I thought I'd attempt to post these thank you cards I worked on earlier this past week for Jan's Midweek Throwdown Challenge, on Stars and Stripes.  I like to keep a supply of thank you notes on hand, so I'm happy to make some for others to share, too.  Plus, I"m thankful for people like Jan who come up with challenges to motivate me to create as well as being thankful for all of our men & women in the armed services, serving our country both here and abroad. 

Here I used a Penny Black stamp called Blush, SU! markers in Old Olive, Perfect Plum, More Mustard, Cajun Craze and Daffodil Delight, greetings from SU! Because I Care and Teeny Tiny Wishes, SU! oval, scallop oval, word window and modern label punches on Old Olive, More Mustard, Perfect Plum, and Early Espresso cardstock with Cuttlebug Bird Call and Swiss Dots embossing folders. 

Stars and Stamps VCMP

I took a few liberties with this morning's first challenge on the OWH Stars and Stamps Labor Day VCMP.  I used a 3/4 inch square punch and decided to turn the card sideways.  I used some old DSP I had in my stash, Hot off the Press Snowflakes, a Stampabilities greeting, Marvy snowflake punch, Stampin' Up Northern Flurry embossing folder, SU Bashful Blue and Night of Navy cardstock. It was a great challenge for me, not having started any holiday cards yet while the weather's still in the 90's where I live!

Under Construction

I followed the OWH Spring training blog-hop this weekend and got inspired to create a blog of my own.  I chose "Sans Souci" since it means carefree, or literally "without worry" in French.   When I'm creating a stamping project to give someone, I feel that I can truly let go and let God as I pour myself into the craft.  I hope this will inspire me to be more regular in my creative card-making endeavors as well as to potentially inspire others!