Operation Write Home Mid- Month Throwdown

A dear friend, who is not a blogger, has asked me to enter this card for her in the Operation Write Home March Mid-Month Throwdown - Red, White & Blue.  I hope that is allowed because I think her card is awesome!

I think I might have to borrow that stamp!

Love your card, Sybilla!

Lots of 1/2" strips leftover

I was doing a little craft table clean up and made a couple 

Any Hero cards to send to Operation Write Home.  

Now I have room to assemble some card kits for a Red Hat class I am teaching on Monday.

I'll be entering this bottom card in these challenges:

Crafts for Eternity R#189 - something old (My something old would be the stamps I used)

Sister Act Card Challenge #70 - Anything Goes

Milk Coffee Challenge - Add Stripes 

Stamping Sensations August Challenge - Anything Goes

 

Banners

(The sentiment is a CTMH stamp.)

Here's a card for the Red, White and Blue Challenge at Loves Rubberstamps.  I have lots of scraps leftover from making all my patriotic cards last week.  That's what happens when you use a 6x6 paper pad to make A2 cards... lots of 1/2" strips leftover. 

I am entering this card in the following:
Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #111 - Red, White and Blue
A Creative Romance Challenge - Colors of your National Flag (USA)
Splendiferous Creations Bloggers Challenge - Pennants or Fishtails
JellyPark Friends Challenge - Red, White and Blue
Charisma Cardz Challenge #15 - Anything Goes
Red Rubber Inspirationals #128 - Anything Goes
Penny's Challenge #185 - Anything Goes
Cards in Envy - Stars and Stripes Challenge (The blue paper may look like it has white polka dots, but they are actually tiny stars.)
Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge #209 - Patriotic or Red, White and Blue
Creative Colors Challenge #14 - Inspiration Photo Colors + a banner

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Check out my great-granddaughter, Laila, almost 5 months old already.  She's putting everything in her mouth right now.  

She tried this watermelon, and it had to be pried from her chubby little hands.

She makes my heart smile!

Shrinky Dink Star + CTMH Card Workshop 7/8/14

A friend of mine told me you could use the heavy plastic from take out containers to make shrinky dinks.  This morning I decided to give it a try.  My intention was to add a little charm to a card I was making for the SPARKS Paper Smooches Anything Goes Challenge week 1.  *I took one of the PS digi stars, enlarged and printed it.  Then I traced it onto the plastic with a marker, colored it and poked a hole in the top for a piece of thread.  After finding my heat gun, I heated the little star and watched it curl.*  But it didn't uncurl and I was left with this dancing star (which will look good on a card, but not this particular one).

Now I had to go searching for the real shrinky dink plastic because I wanted to put a star embellishment on this card and nothing else would do.   Found it!  Started again * *  This time it uncurled.  Success. 

I started assembling the card.  As I was holding my little star to put the thread through the hole, the bottom tip of the star broke off.  By popping the sentiment I managed to hide the whoopsie.

(Stars and Sentiment are Paper Smooches Digis)

I am entering this card in the following:
SPARKS Paper Smooches Anything Goes Challenge week 1
Mojo Monday Sketch Contest 353
 
Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge - Anything Goes
Fan-tastic Tuesday Challenge #43 - Anything Goes
Cards in Envy Challenge - Stars and Stripes
Loves Rubberstamps Challenge #111 - Red, White and Blue
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Stars and Stripes
Craft-Dee-Bowz July Challenge - Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
Crafting from the Heart Challenge #26 - Anything Goes
Digi Makeover Challenge #148 - Anything Goes

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Below are the cards we made at Joyce's weekly CTMH card workshop this afternoon,  after we talked her into giving us a peek at the new catalog.   We ooh...ed and ahhh...ed at all the new products before getting down to the business of making these fun cards:

No sentiment required

How could I forget that I had this great embossing folder in my stash?  So many of you commented on this star stamp from CTMH, I decided to use it again for this card and top it with a wood star.

 I hope all of you had a wonderful 4th.  

We did.

My grandson's baseball team won the 1st game of this weekend's tournament.  That was followed by a fun picnic at my son's home.  With 15 boys between the ages of 5 and 11 in the pool along with a few brave little girls, the party was a big splash!  

Let's hope the boys got a good night's sleep because they have 2 more games to play today.  

(If you read my blog regularly, you might not have expected a post from me this morning.  We thought one of today's games started at 8:15 this morning.  Turns out it's at 8:15 tonight, which is a good thing because our electricity went out briefly early this morning and our clocks all went out.  I'm pretty sure that without an alarm we never would have gotten up in time.)

I'll be submitting this card to the following challenges:

• A Creative Romance Challenge - Show Us Your Colors (USA - red, white and blue)
• Artbymiran Challenge #9 - Anything Goes 
• Crafty Catz Challenge #238 - Stars, Stripes or both
• Polkadoodles Challenge week 26- Red, White, Blue
• Quick Quotes Friday Challenge #41 - Stars
• Savvy Handmade Cards Challenge - Stars
• Lia Stampz Challenge #68 - No Patterned Paper
• Crafty Sentiments Challenge - No Designer Paper
• Crafty Cardmakers Challenge June 23rd - Wooden It Be Loverly
• Use Your Stuff Challenge #142 - Wood veneer or Chipboard

 

  

Happy 4th of July!

Making a card this morning wasn't on my agenda.  But since my agenda doesn't really start until this afternoon with my grandson's 3:45 baseball game, why not?  Besides, ever since I saw this photo in the Birds and Blooms Magazine,

I've been meaning to put one of these colorful birds on a card,  a perfect specimen for 4th of July and an Operation Write Home card.  The bird and nest are old CTMH stamps and the saying is a stamp from Cracker Box Palace.  Generally cards without a lot of extra fru fru, make good guy cards, which was my intention here.  

 

Challenges to which I am submitting this card include:

Splendiferous Creations Happy 4th! Bloggers Challenge - Red, White, and Blue
Brown Sugar Challenge #101 - Anything Goes
Crafty Catz Challenge #238 - Stars or Stripes or both
JellyPark Friends Friday Challenge - Red, White and Blue
Sister Act Card Challenge #64 - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Girlz Challenge #21 - Anything Goes
Crafting by Designs July Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafty Creations Challenge #266 - Things with Wings
The House That Stamps Built DCC#72 - Fur or Winged Things
Word Art Wednesdays Challenge #139 - Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations Challenge #98 - Anything Goes, Patriotic Colors
The Kraft Journal Challenge #178 - Red, White and Blue (The nest is stamped on Kraft paper.)
Come and Get It Challenge - Animals
Dragonfly Dreams Challenge #6 - Anything with Wings
Scrap It Girl Color Challenge July -  Navy, Cream, Red, Kraft

Ahhh.  The sun has come out;  it's not too hot;  a bit of a breeze is blowing;  should be a lovely day for picnics and my grandson's baseball game this afternoon.  We had wicked weather last evening and that game was rescheduled for 8:15am Saturday.  It's a good hour from where we live.  That means we'll need to get up @ 6....  oh my,  that's early!  One thing's for sure.... I won't be making a card tomorrow am!

Celebrate this fun sketch

The minute I saw the sketch at The Sweetest Thing, I got out of my chair and headed for my craft table.  Then I stopped myself.  I was smack in the middle of yesterday's blog post.  The sketch wasn't going anywhere, nor was all my stuff.  There was no need to do it that minute.  I get so easily distracted by a fun sketch or new fold that the little bit that was in my head immediately disappears.  How totally ridiculous is that!   I finished the post and then headed for my craft table to make this card:

(Stamps are CTMH)

This is Red, White and Blue Card #3 of my personal 4th of July celebration.
I am entering it in these challenges:
Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #225


Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #267


Robyn's Fetish Challenge #218 -Stripes or Dots

Fan-tastic Tuesday Challenge #42- Anything Goes
Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #110 - Anything Goes
Party Time Tuesday Challenge #179 - Red, White and Blue
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #158 - Red, White and Blue
Through the Craft Room Door Challenge July 1-7 - Anything Goes
Twisted Tuesday Challenge #79 - Red, White and Blue + Stars
My Sheri Crafts Challenge #136 - A Star is Born (use at least 2 stars)
Open Minded Crafting Challenge #13 - Patriotic Colors

Tuesday R/W/B + CTMH Workshop 7/1/14

This week I am having my own personal July 4th Celebration.  I'm making all my cards Red, White and Blue and putting them in the box to send to Operation Write Home.  

Once upon a time, I stamped this image and didn't use it.  It was buried in a pile of stuff I recently went through.  Now there's one less thing on that pile.  To complete the card I've used a corner punch, oval punch, corner rounder, ribbon, baker's twine, brads, red glitter gel, light blue Prismacolor marker, and a CTMH sentiment.

I am entering this card in the following:
Cards Galore Encore Challenge - Use a stamp or digi stamp
Crafty Hazelnut's July Patterned Paper Challenge
One Sweet Challenge - July: Red, White and Blue
Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge - Anything Goes
Party Time Tuesday Challenge #179 - Red, White and Blue
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #158 - Red, White and Blue
Top Tip Tuesday Challenge - 2 or more Ribbon or Twine
Craftin Desert Divas Linky Party - Red, White and Blue
Crafting from the Heart Challenge #25 - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion Challenge #220 - Ribbons

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I was enormously happy to see Gail's smiling face when I got to Joyce's card workshop this afternoon.  Welcome back, Gail!

Here are the cards we made today using Close to My Heart products:

 

That's it for today.  I just came across a really neat sketch I want to try.  Maybe I can get a card done before it's time for dinner.

Oh, that's right.  There sits the checkbook.  I was going to balance the bank statement when I got home this afternoon.

Not anymore!

"There's no law....

that says you have to make a Mojo Card."  said my DH when I complained about the Tall and Skinny Mojo Sketch this week.  And he is absolutely right, as usual.  It's just how I like to start off my crafting week.  So here it is....

.... my entry for Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #352.

Believe it or not, by making this card tall and skinny it decreases the amount of available writing space on the card by 12.375 square inches.  That quite a bit.  And even though it still fits in an A2 envelope, a requirement for OWH, that 12.375 square inches could mean a lot to person writing home and/or the person anxiously awaiting news from a loved one deployed far away from home.  Which is why I made a few alterations before adding it to the OWH box.

Sentiment and layered ornament stamps are CTMH.

I am submitting this card to the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create Challenge #78 - Anything Goes (Congrats on reaching 600 followers!)
Addicted to Stamps Challenge #85 - Polka Dots 
Opus Gluei Challenge #126 - All Tied Up (ribbon, twine, or string)
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #218 - Stripes or Dots
The Paper Players Challenge #202 - Tic Tac Toe (I'm using the top row: ribbon, blue, birthday) 
Open Minded Challenge #13 - Patriotic Colors
Pumpkin Spice Challenge #77 - Red, White and Blue
Polkadoodles Challenge Week 26 - Red, White or Blue
The Stamping Boutique Challenge - Red, White and Blue  (Thanks for the freebie!)
Crafter's Cafe Challenge #69 - Polka Dots and Ribbon


Wishing everyone a blessed week!

Some Wednesday Mojo For OWH + CTMH Card Workshop 6/3/14

This 'Any Hero' card for Operation Write Home follows this week's sketch for Mojo Monday's Contest #348.  

(I usually only make one card for MM but I'd really like to increase my chances of winning since there is a prize the first Monday of the month.  Like that's gonna happen!)

(The HERO stamp is from SU; the rest are from CTMH.)

 

Besides entering this card in Mojo Monday, I am entering it in these challenges:

Clear It Out Challenge - Father's Day/Male + Stars

Inky Chicks Challenge #30 - Metal Embellishment (star brad)

Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #106 - Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge June 3-9 - Always Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #21 - Always Anything Goes

Love to Scrap Challenge #31 - Love Your Banners

Stamp and Create June Challenge - Thank You  (Although this isn't for a teacher, it certainly could be.  With kids today and the way the world is, most teachers are heroes in their own right!)

Use Your Stuff Challenge #138 - Patterned Paper (This paper is a collection called Americana and is my 'Go To' paper right now for OPW cards.)

A2Z Scrapbooking June Linky Party - Stars and Stripes

Allsorts Challenge #261 - For the Guys

Little Claire's Monthly Challenge #45- Spots and Stripes

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Father's Day/Special Man/Boy

Frosted Designs Friday Challenge - Stars and Stripes

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A Big Congrats to my friend KT Kitty!  She's been published in Take Ten Magazine!  

Check out her cards here.  

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Here are the cards we made at Joyce's CTMH workshop yesterday:

AND

Joyce posted the recipes for Ham and Cheese Sicky Buns and the Cauliflower Soup we had at the card extravaganza in May.  You can find them under the Recipe section of her blog.

Memorial Day Mojo

Oh no, it's the last Monday of the month!  That means a Tall and Skinny card for Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #347.  But, you gotta go with the flow....

Card measures 3.5 x 5.5 inches and uses a SU HERO stamp.

My friends and I are currently putting together an entire box of Any Hero cards for OPW .  This is how Operation Write Home explains, on their  blog, what Any Hero mail is:
" These are cards and letters (or, with kids they can be drawings or coloring pages) from people across America with messages of gratitude and encouragement inside. We call them “AnyHero” letters because they’re going to be given out by our contacts to those who get little or no mail. If they were “Any Soldier” they would have to go to the Army, so we keep away from branch-specific language."



 
Other challenges into which I am entering this card include:
Scribble and Scrap Challenge #19 - Always Anything Goes
Splendiferous Creations Bloggers Challenge - Armed Forces
Brown Sugar Challenge # 95- Anything Goes
Crafty Catz Challenge #232 - Embossing
Frosted Designs Friday Challenge - Stars and Stripes
Simply Create Too Challenge #62 - Father's Day or For a Male
Art Impressions Challenge #136 - Operation Write Home Cards
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #133 - Anything Goes

CTMH Catch Up + Mojo Monday

These are the cards we made at Joyce's CTMH Card Workshop 3 weeks ago.  

I forgot to post them.  

Sorry!

These are more cards using the Lollydoodle paper pack that's available here.

By the way, Joyce has posted the recipes from Saturday's Card Extravaganza.  You'll find them here. 

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 And here is my card entry for this week's 
Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge # 346:
 

I've used a fun paper pack called Americana by Pebbles, Inc. The "HERO" stamp is SU; the star stamp is CTMH.  I love this star embossing folder.  And I added silver brads and silver Candies.  Pretty simple.

This Any Hero card will go in the box for Operation Write Home.  
and will also be my entry for these challenges:
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes, Option - 3 shapes (rectangle, star, circle)
Addicted to Stamps Challenge #82 - Inspired by a Song (Star Spangled Banner)
Glitter n Sparkle Challenge #85 - Cards for Men or Male Colors
Hiding in My Craft Room Challenge #149 - Embossing

It occurs to me....

that I haven't shared the projects from the CTMH workshops I attend at my friend, Joyce's, house. Tomorrow she is having an all day extravaganza, and I'll a bunch of cards from there also.  I guess I need to start posting a few every day until I catch up.  To start... Here are the 4 cards we made this past Tuesday using the paper pack that will only be available from CTMH this month.  You can find the details on Joyce's web site here as well as details about tomorrow's workshop here on her blog.

The yellow triangle strips on the bottom card are washi tape, a fun idea for decorating the cake.

This last card I changed  because I thought it would make a good Any Hero card for Operation Write Home.   I used a piece of post it note to block the word "FUN" on the tag stamp and inserted the word "HERO" instead.

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What have I been working on in my dining/craft room?  I made this card for the 7th Freebie Design Digital Stamp Challenge at Gerde Steiner Designs.  The image is May's freebie.  I added the words on the computer before printing.  

(Father's Day sentiment is a CTMH stamp.)

  

This card is also being entered in the challenges below,

and then I'll tuck it in the envelope with yesterday's cards and mail it to Send A Smile 4 Kids. 

• A Creative Romance Challenge - One for the Boys
• Brown Sugar Challenge #94 - Father's Day
• Creative Corner Challenges - Going in Circles
• Savvy Handmade Card Challenge - Zoo Animals
• Sister Act Card Challenge #57 - Anything Goes
• Wags n Whiskers Challenge #129 - One for the Boys
• ABC Challenge - "L" is for lots of layers
• Creative Craft Cottage Digi Creations  Challenge #1 - Anything Goes with a Digi
• Flat Friends Challenge #20 - Dies and/or Punches (I used punches for the corners and circles.)
• Paper Crafting Journey Challenge - For that Special Man
• Digi Stamps 4 Joy Challenge # 92 - Anything Goes
• Word  Art Wednesday Challenge #132 - Anything Goes

Operation Write Home Any Hero Card

I was doing a blog hop last weekend and one of the gals had used the sketch from the current OWH challenge.  It reminded me that I hadn't made any "Hero" cards lately.  No time like the present. If you live in the USA and you're not familiar with Operation Write Home, please take a moment to check out their blog.  

The stamps are from Stampin' Up.

Naturally, I am entering this in the OWH Sketch Challenge #219

and just a few more:

Crafty Hands Challenge #12 - Anything Goes

Daring Cardmakers Challenge - Flag It Up!

Word Art Wednesday Challenge # 127 - Anything Goes

Eclectic Ellapu Challenge - One For the Boys

Hope everyone has a lovely week-end!  

My youngest grandson has his first baseball game of the season so I hope the weather cooperates.

Unfortunately, his older brother is spending his first few baseball games on the bench.  He slid into 2nd base at practice and cut his knee on a piece of metal under the base.  Ouch!!!  He practiced for another 20 minutes before looking to see why it hurt so much.  His 11 stitches don't come out for another week.

I asked him if there was a Stitch Fairy like there is a Tooth Fairy.  He said no, but he did get ice cream!

CTMH Challenge

I was first introduced to stamping and card making by my friend, Joyce, who I often mention here on my blog.   She is a Close to My Heart consultant, has workshops almost weekly which I attend, and takes me along to help her when she and Betty, another consultant, set up at various stamping shows.  Consequently, I  have a lot of Close to My Heart products and enjoy playing in the Heart 2 Heart Challenge and the Color My Heart Challenge.  Both challenges encourage you to use your CTMH stash.

This week's color dare  #78 at Color My Heart is Hollyhock and Indian Corn Blue.  I knew I had Hollyhock but wasn't sure about the Indian Corn Blue.  After a little digging, I found one inch square stamp pads of both colors.  I used both pads to make the BG paper on the left side, which I dry embossed, and a CTMH background stamp on the right side.  Then I stamped and fussy cut the 3 stars and heat embossed with clear EP.  The ribbon is CTMH color ready ribbon which I colored with the same stamp pads and let dry while I went out and shoveled another 3" of snow off the driveway.    After making the blue bow I tied a piece of red, white and blue bakers twine around it and threaded it through the little star button.  So here is my finished card for Color Dare #78 at Color My Heart and a few additional challenges listed below.  This card will also be going in the box to send to Operation Write Home.

Dream Valley Challenge #74 - No Designer Paper

Stamping Sensations January Challenge - Ribbons, Buttons and Bows

Brown Sugar Challenge #78 - Embossing (I used both dry and heat embossing.)

Creative Inspirations Challenge #249 - Ribbons

Stampotique Designers January Challenge SDC#131 - Stars Take Two


Check out this picture of the scrap paper I placed the 3 stars on to stamp them with versa mark and then heat emboss them.  I'm saving this for maybe a guy card or grunge card. It certainly isn't going in the trash!

 

From the Heart Challenge + Cards in Envy

I've been wanting to enter the monthly challenge at From the Heart Challenge and finally purchased one of their digis so I could enter.  The great part is that if you enter their challenge one month they send you a free digi to use the next month.  I like digis with big bold lines. And theirs are really nice. 
The Cards in Envy Challenge is one of my favorites because you need to make cards that will fit in an A2 envelope without a lot of bumps, etc. - perfect cards to send to Operation Write Home.  Today I combined these 2 challenges and made this Spotlight Card, the theme at Cards in Envy.

I'll also be entering this card in the following challenges:
Lady Anne's Challenge #7 - Autumn/Fall
Make it Monday Challenge #163 with Bugaboo Stamps - Anything Goes
Perfectly Rustic Design Challenge #9 - Patterned Paper
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #182 - Happy Fall
Card Crafter's Circle Challenge #97 - In the Pumpkin Patch
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards Challenge #50 - Autumn/ but not Halloween
DL.Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #119 - Pumpkins
Inky Impressions Challenge - Autumn/Fall

Monday Duo

I decided to combine the Dynamic Duo Color Challenge 

 

with the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge

 

this morning to make a birthday card for my brother.  Father time is after all of us!!!  It's hard to believe I'm working on cards for October.  When I went to the market on Saturday, there was a sign posted that said there were only 97 days until Christmas.  I don't even want to think about it.

A few more challenges for this card before I attend to some overdue chores:

Make It Monday Challenge #159 with Rick St. Dennis - Anything Goes

Ooh La La Creations Challenge - Magnificent Men at Ooh La La

Parade Your Crafts Challenge #4 - It's All About The Birthdays

Stamp and Create September Challenge - Birthdays

Tammy's Scrapin Corner Weekly Challenge #81 - Happy Birthday

Victorine Originals Challenge #68 - Birthdays

Come and Get It Challenge - Happy Birthday

Glitter n Sparkle Challenge #51 - Male Cards

The Squirrel and the Fox Challenge #53 - Happy Birthday

Wait, don't go yet!

 

I used some of the scraps to make an AnyHero Card for Operation Write Home, too.

It's called an “AnyHero” card because it will be given out to those US enlisted men and women who get little or no mail.