Oldie Moldie Monday

Only one card for Oldie Moldie Monday.  I have been trying to catch up on birthday cards and things around the house.

This card will go in my next Operation Write Home box.

Enjoy your Monday.

Freshly Made Sketches

I loved the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  I do have problems with keeping it fairly simple - my middle name is not simple - I believe it is layers.  I did make two cards from the sketch.

I will share the card I made for Christmas.  I think it will go in my Operation Write Home box.  I just let the paper do the talking on the entire card.  No stamp was inked for this card.

The paper is from Glitz.

Everyone enjoy their Sunday.  I am going to go to a huge flea market today - should be interesting.

Everyone Loves Snoopy

This week on CAS(E) This Sketch it was a very simple sketch - but then - CASE is very simple.  You just have to make an impact with what you do on a CASE card.

When I designed my card, I took the design very literally.  I did add some SRM stitch stickers to add a little extra to the card.  I keep thinking I need more.  "Walk away from the card".  The paper is from American Crafts - a Dear Lizzy collection.  I love the ombre look of the paper.  Who does not like Snoopy?  This card and the other two which are very similar will go in my next Operation Write Home box.  They will bring a smile to someone's face.

Enjoy your Saturday.

Friday With Unity and Addicted to CAS

I am trying to use my Unity stamps on Friday.  Hopefully I can keep this up.  I do pretty good with my Oldie Moldie Monday posts - I hardly miss a Monday using my old supplies.

When I saw the challenge at Addicted to CAS - Sun; I remembered a Unity stamp I had and that began the creative journey to make these two cards.

In my head the bottom card was going to be fantastic but I never could get it to fantastic.  I had this wonderful background paper I had made in yellows and oranges.  I really have no idea how I made it since it has been hanging out for awhile.

Both cards will go in my next Operation Write Home box.

Enjoy your Friday.

Friday Mashup Word Bubble

The weekly challenge on Friday Mashup always has three options with it:.  This week it is color, word bubble, or color and word bubble combined.  I seem to always forget the second part of the challenge.

My Silhouette Cameo can cut so many different shapes and I love all the different word bubbles I can but.  I found this design.  I had to size it down so it would fit on an A2 card.  My card is slightly smaller than 4.25 inches.  The white and purple are both recycled cardstock from commencement programs.  I have lots of this paper - especially the white so I make my own white cardbases all the time.  I stamped a couple sentiments to pop on top of the word bubble.  I cut out a couple little hearts to add around the sentiments.

This card will go in my next Operation Write Home box.

Wanna Sketch, Oldie Moldie Monday, Basic Grey

It is once again Oldie Moldie Monday - time to show some love to your old supplies.  I have been working on cards using the same 6 x 6 pad from Basic Grey over the last couple weeks.  This week I made a couple cards for Operation Write Home and a card for my own supply.

I based the card for my own use on the sketch from Wanna Sketch.  It is the first time I have played along on this sketch challenge.  Here is the sketch.

Actually not only is this oldie moldie paper, the flowers have been around for a couple years and I have had this sentiment stamp - from a set from Technique Tuesday for years.  I really like the set.  Great for my use and also for Operation Write Home cards.

Here are some simple cards for Operation Write Home.  Some Hero will be able to send this home to their kids.

Everyone have a great Monday.  Just think we are four days away from Friday.

Watercolor, Hero Arts, and Seize the Sketch

I have had this piece of background paper I made in the online watercolor class sitting on my table.  I have been trying to use it but nothing ever came together.  Finally we have a card.  The background is made by wetting a piece of watercolor paper and I add a light wash of color.  I then put a stencil over the top and then brush more watercolor over the openings in the stencil.  It never turns out the same.  This is one of my favorite color combos of distress ink.  I decided to use a piece of the background paper in the sketch from Seize the Sketch.

I had watercolored the flower awhile back.  It was colored with distress inks also.  This is a new Hero Arts stamp set for me with a coordinating die set.  Yes I do have other embossing folders besides this one but I love the subtle effects of this embossing folder.  The pearls came from my supplies which I must start using.  I died the crochet thread with distress ink so it would match the card perfectly.

I hope you enjoy my take on the sketch.  It is a sketch with great possibilities.  Now I need to do some work for work.  I need to put in a few hours today to finish up a project.  Everyone enjoy their Sunday.

Friday With Unity

I am trying to use some of my supplies.  I have a box of Unity Stamps and I want to start using them.  Hard to believe but it is time to start thinking about winter/holiday cards for Operation Write Home.  Penguins are always popular and this sentiment makes it possible to use the card all winter.

The paper is from Bo Bunny.

Hope you enjoyed my use of my Unity Stamps.

Paper Leftovers

I had the corner of some patterned paper left with this tag and image already on it.  I added a couple layers and two sentiments - Hi and I Miss You So Much.  This card will go in my next Operation Write Home box.

Addicted to CAS

The current challenge on Addicted to CAS is transport.  I almost reached for my favorite truck stamp but - no wait - you used that on their last challenge Texture.  Guess what this card could have been posted for Texture also.  I guess I always reach for the embossing folders when I am doing a CAS card.  Simple way to add a little more dimension to your design.

I believe I bought this card stock in a package at Tuesday Morning.  It has enough color in it to also add a nice element to a CAS card.  I stamped the car with a chalk ink from Clearbox.  I don't know who the company is for the stamp unfortunately.  The packaging is no longer on the stamp set.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.  The patterned paper I used is from Bo Bunny - just enough to add a little color to the card.  It is actually a winter collection but I love the colors.  I cut some small circles to scatter around and of course, a masculine transport card has to have some chrome on it - so I added the two silver whatch a majiggies. (new words)

I am also entering the card in the current challenge at Inkspirational Challenges which is to make a CAS card.  I love it when things some together so nicely and you can get double bang out of a card.

Everyone enjoy your Wednesday.

Washi Tape Hello

When I saw this sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch I immediately thought of washi tape.  What do you think of when you see this sketch?

I did two version of the card.  The first card the washi tape was lined up on the right side.  On the second card I offset all the tape more like the sketch.  I guess when you work with sketches you can do just about anything  as long as it looks like the sketch.  I added some dry embossing with my Cuddlebug.  I am always afraid washi tape will come unstuck so I usually emboss it.  I figure it is stuck forever to that cardstock now.

The first card I am also entering in the current challenge on Stars and Stamps Operation Write Home card blog.  Our Daily Bread Designs sponsors a monthly challenge.  The will pay the shipping for a maximum of two boxes of cards to our Heroes.  The cardmakers just have to make 50 cards for that to happen.  I don't think we have not gotten two boxes shipped each month.  The challenge this month is to use a die cut.  The Hello on the top card was cut with my Silhouette.

Well Happy Tuesday to you.

Oldie Moldie Monday and Friday Mashup Collide

When I saw the challenge on Friday Mashup - I got so excited.  Mix patterned paper.  Sometimes I think I am the queen of combining patterned paper.

We have a new co worker starting in the office.  Several years ago I started making monkey cards for the new employee and leaving it on their desk for their first day.  Welcome to the jungle is what it says on the inside.

I am slowly working on this 6 x 6 pad of Basic Grey paper.  I don't seem to get more than one card made a week out of it.  Busy times here and lots of cards to make.  I finished up a canvas this week for a graduation present and am working on a wedding card for this upcoming week end.

Here is my card with lots of layers of patterned paper.  How many layers are on it?  There are only six layers on this card.  What is your record for layers on a card.

The monkey is from Stampendous.  The patterned paper is from Basic Grey.  I cut the hello from recycled card stock and glued 4 layers together so it has some dimension.  After I glued them together, I used the pile on lots of weight to make sure it dried flat.  The card is a little smaller than the standard A2.  I like it when you can let an element hang over the edge of your card.

Everyone enjoy your Monday.  Another day of peddle to the metal this week at work and home.

Painted Chairs and My Flower Garden

I decided I wanted to do something in my flower beds this summer.  In the back of the beds, because of the overhang you do not get too much moisture so I decided to plant an assort of wooden chairs with baskets of flowers on top.  I really like how it turned out.  The chairs don't even have to be perfectly painted - because they are just sitting outside.

Here are each of the chairs close up.

This chair has a much bigger plant on it now that has yellow and orange flowers in it.  This plant is now sitting by the purple chair.

And then my neighbors decided I needed another chair over on the other side of the driveway where the hosta flower beds area and the suggested purple.  My coworker game me this high chair - it is so cute now sitting in my hosta bed.

There is the story of how to plant chairs in your flower beds.  They take very little care but the flowers need lots of water.  The chairs and paint were inexpensive but the flowers - of course I had to have the right flowers were not cheap but they complete the picture I wanted to achieve.

Graduation and Mixed Media

My granddaughter graduates from high school tomorrow so I tried making a card and nothing came together - I think it was because this canvas was in my head and heart.

I am entering it in the monthly challenge on the Faber Castell Design Memory Craft blog.  The challenge this month is to mix and match your mediums.  My interpretation is to use lots of different products and that is what happened with me in creating this project.

It is a 6 x 6 canvas.  Several layers on the canvas because I did not like the first background I made.  That is the glory of gesso, gel medium and paper.  You can start all over again and again if you have to.  I layered on patterned paper with gel medium  I then applied gesso over the top.  After the gesso dried I used my gelatos to add color (Emily's favorite colors are purple and teal).  I used a stencil and added embossing paste and from there I went with a polka dot background theme.  Unfortunately I do not know who makes the girl stamp.  Unmounted rubber.  The sentiment is by Penny Black.  I colored the image with gelatos, watercolor pencils.  The girl and sentiment were stamped on dictionary pages which had gesso on them.  I colored the paper for the sentiment before stamping.  The girl I colored after I stamped.  All this was added to the canvas with gel medium.  I used another stencil and just colored with a brush and picked up the color off the end of a gelato and applied it in the circle.  Very soft background.  I finished it off with with random rub ons and other rubber stamps.

A friend shared it on facebook and one of her friends wants me to make her one.  Gee what do you charge for something like this.

Enjoy your Saturday.

Oldie Moldie Monday

On Sunday we had an event in Milwaukee for Operation Write Home to introduce people to the organization and making cards for our Heroes.  I made some kits to work on while I was at the event.  I did use some of my supply of paper.  Here is one kit.

The sentiment is a digital designed by Paula - an active Operation Write Home cardmaker.  She has several other digitals on her site.  I have a file saved with 6 of these on a sheet.  They fit perfectly in a spellbinders circle die I have.  I cut my other circles with the Silhouette - so much faster.

Here is my next kit.

This is a birthday card (duh - that is pretty obvious).  The paper is from Imaginisce.  I have an entire of birthday paper so I need to make some more cards out of it.

Too bad it is Monday.  The week ends go so fast.