OWH Sketch #153

Happy Monday and New Year's Eve!
Here is this week's sketch; ahhh- this has the potential for a lot of cards in my future!

I cut my puppy a little too big- therefore my square is a bit large and takes up too much room--and I am not sure I like the size of the dots on the red  paper.  I think if the spots were smaller or the rick rack bigger the flow of the card would be better. I do like the colors red/black/kraft and white together.

supplies:

puppy- Cricut Paper Pups

red/kraft dot paper- Jillibean

Kraft paper- GinaK

black paper-DCWV

EK Success rick rack punch and label punch

WRMK corner punch

ribbon- Michaels

sentiment- Paper Smooches

Have a safe and happy New Year!

Take care,

Diane

Missing you and other cards!

Hello! Happy 2 days after Christmas..and almost Friday-yahoo! I had a wonderful Christmas and hope everyone else did as well!

This week at OWH we are challenged to make missing you cards for our troops to send home.

I love this dog stamp- he is just waiting for his loved one to come home! I bought it a few years ago at the Paper Source but I do not know who made it; no label on the stamp....

My patterned papers are from The Paper Loft 6x6 pad- Hooked on Fishing- a great masculine pad! The kraft is from Gina K- Pure Luxury- what nice, thick cardstock! The green mat is DWCV.

My next 2 cards were made for the sketch on Sunday 12/23.  I struggled with the squares- trying to make them rectangles-- I checked out a few of the posts on OWH and felt better about the sketch!

The Happy Brithday stamp is an orphan stamp from my stash....another mystery stamp.

I used the glaze pen to make the popsicles look wet and frozen! Stamps are from Stamps of Life.

And below are a few other cards I made recently. I mailed my last package to shipper Caro today and it contained just love cards so they can be used anytime (Caro is moving and stepping down as a shipper-thanks for your hard work Caro!).

The stamp with the girl and boy is one of my favorites of all time! It is so sweet and colors up quickly and can be used with a lot of different sentiments! I do not know who made it- but I bought it several years ago in a clearance bin at JoAnn; I know it was part of a set- but over the years- it got separated so I do not even know what stamps coordinate with it! Yup- sometimes my stamps are in a basket and when it overflows and I try to put them where they belong- well- I sometimes give up! New Years resolution- TRY to keep stamps organized! lol

And my final card for today is a cute Inky Antics image- perfect for a child's card! I popped up the balloon to make it stand out from the images on the patterned paper.

So that is my card share for this week! I hope to find some crafty time this weekend- even if I only get to create for 1/2 hour, it feels so good!

Take care,

Diane

Red, White and Blue

This week for the Midweek Throwndown  at OWH cardmakers are challenged to make cards using the colors red, white & blue for our heroes to send home to their family and friends! A fun challenge and I usually think of patriotic when I hear this color scheme- but I went in another direction this time.

I have several of the Inky Antic Stamp sets that use the honeypop- so much fun- but I have used them mostly for cards I have given by hand-since there is a little bit of bulk. I thought I would try it for OWH since it will is a nice surprise when the card is opened!

I guess we are all critical of our work- my fussy cutting was baaaad this time-lol.  I will go in and ink the edges so the white is not so glaring! Funny how my camera does not pick up on the gloss of the worm's eyeglasses and on the shiny spot of the apple- but picks up all my cutting flaws~ lol. But I like this card today...I think fun cards tend to be my favorite and the ones I am most pleased with.....most of the time!

I have today off from work- some of my annual medical things to take care of- but I have time for card making as well as wrapping some of my sister's gifts. We shop together a lot; I take the gifts home so her children to not see them and somehow- I end up doing some wrapping for her....isn't she a smart one!!!  I guess it is better than the year they had a 2nd floor addition added to their house. They lived with me so keeping the gifts at my place that year did not work- so we hid and wrapped the gifts in the UNHEATED house under construction- in New England and in December! Oh the things I do for my baby sister!  So- any year of wrapping in warmth, watching dvr'd Pawn Stars, Antiques Roadshow and my newly discovered Bid and Destroy-- it is all good!

Supplies:

Stamps and Honeypop- Inky Antics

blue solid paper- Bazzill

blue patterned paper- DCWV

Red gingham- Memory Box

copics

white card base and used to color the imades- SSS 120# base weight. wow, nice, thick paper! Perfect for a sturdy base and the copics did not bleed through so if I ever want to make a one layer card with copics- this is the paper I will use!

bling- Queen & Co

Lifestyle Crafts die

Have a wonderful holiday if I do not post again before Christmas- and have you checked out portablenorthpole.com  yet?  Do try to find a few minutes to create a message from Santa- everyone I have sent one to has enjoyed it!

Take care,

Diane

OWH Sketch #151

Good news for me!  Most (about 80%) of the gifts for my family are wrapped, cashew clusters and peanut butter cups are made and packaged, work Yankee Swap gift purchased, gifts for my staff wrapped, food shopping and laundry done- hey- it was time to create!

This is the sketch for this week at OWH:


This is the perfect sketch for some of my smaller stamps. Both cards use stamps from The Stamps of Life.

Both cards appear darker than they are-- I used my OTT light as always....I guess I need to improve on my photography skills!
 Another night football game tonight- the late games kill me since I get up so stinkin early for work.... but I do not want to miss a game!

A speical shout out to my fabulous niece Paige.... she is so smart and hard working- and man is it paying off for her! She has had some wonderful job offers so far- (and she does not graduate from Marist College until May!), she won a great award last week and she just found out she made the Fashion Draft! I am so proud and happy for her!
             http://www.nycedc.com/program/fashion-draft-nyc
 You go Paige-- where ever you want to go in life!!

Take care!
Diane

Is it so bad.....

that I would rather make cards than wrap Christmas presents?

The midweek throwdown challenge at OWH is to make a 'hi, hello, thinking of you' card and use a die cut or punch.

I used PTI dies and stamps for the plane and the banner, Simon Says Stamps card kit for the paper and the red accents, and EK Success punches for the borders.  The plane looks a liitle blotchy---in real life it is slick and shiny from my glaze pen.

OK, OK- I am  going to wrap some gifts!
Have a great week,
Take care,
Diane

I am liking this card...

I like this card so much better than yesterday's bee card! The paper is from Simon Says Stamp monthly card kit, the stamp is by Inkadinkadoo (Tin Can Mail), the card base is DCWV and has a slight shimmer. The ribbon, sentiment stamp and tiny pearls are from my stash- in other words- I do not know who makes them-lol. And of course- memento tuxedo black ink on x-press it blending card with copics.  I went over the whole image with Brilliance pearlescent beige dew drop ink by Tsukineko....it helped tone down the white paper while adding a bit of shimmer.

Anyone ready for some football? The Patriots are playing on Monday night- love the game but dislike that I have to work in the am-so I may not make the whole game, boo-hoo!
Take care,
Diane

OWH Sketch 150

Hello! Here is the newest sketch for OWH  operationwritehome.org.
I missed last week's midweek throwdown...this time of year I am challenged to find time to create. After missing a challenge, I was determined to have a fabulous card today...not happening! LOL

I am not sure what I do not love about the card.. I like the MME Darling Dear paper, I like the bee and sentiment stamps from the Stamps of Life.  Maybe it is that it seems like a dark card when in my head it was going to be light and fun. In person- the yellow in the bee matches the yellow in the paper...on my screen the paper looks too brown. And maybe it is that I did not trim my papers evenly at the bottom! lol Or maybe I need to do something else to all that white around the bees!

I am going to try to wade through the bags of gifts strewn about my house and made a card for the Our Daily Bread challenge- a flower card....that should be easier for me!

Before I go- I want to share 2 links.

I know most of the traffic on my blog is from OWH- but just in case anyone missed it, Sandy Allnock, President of OWH, did a great tutorial...it is really fun! You choose a sketch, a theme, a technique etc and there are videos for each and every choice you make! I only viewed a few of them- but what a fun idea..and hopefully will inspire some great cards for our troops. operationwritehome/org/icp

 

A truly fun site is Portable North Pole- you enter information for a child or adult, naughty or nice and they create a video with Santa and his elves! What fun for kids young and old to hear Santa talk about them and some of their characteristics...you can even add a photo--to make it really personal- and it is free! I sent a video to 2 of my nieces who are away at college... cannot wait for them to check it out! 

I plan to make about 6 more!  Try it-little children go crazy when Santa says their names!  I have used the site for the past 3 or 4 years- no spam or any issues with the site.  portablenorthpole.com

Have a great week!

Diane



OWH Sketch 149

Just a quick post today- during half time of the Patriots game! Here is this week's sketch:

I am really liking the inspiration of using the sketch each week...it forces me to try something a little different-but not so different from my norm that it feels like a chore!  And yes- believe it or not- this stamp is from- yes- you guessed it-- MFT! 
Have a great day- and back to the game!
Take care, Diane

Please check out Nancy's blog!

Happy Saturday! A while back I found a blog I really liked and got lots of inspiration! I think I found Nancy thru OWH...but I am not 100% sure!  Today is her 3 year blog anniversary!  Easy for me to remember- today is sister Jan's birthday, William's birthday, sister Denise is tomorrow, BIL Dave is in a few days....December is a big celebrating month! lol
Nancy is offering a chance to win a great prize- go check her out! You will be happy you did...she creates amazing cards!

                      nancythomas.blogspot.com

Take care,
Diane

OWH Midweek Throw Down- winter cards

The challenge this week at OWH is to make a winter themed card for our troops to send home. I am praying for a mild winter this year...I can deal with the cold and some snow-- but I hope that we do not get any big snowstorms!  Winter scenes on cards--totally fulfills my need for the change of seasons! 

I have seen the idea to stamp on plastic or acetate to use as glass in a window on several blogs recently- so I thought I would give it a try!  

Supplies:
paper- no clue!
stamp; penguin- Mama Elephant- a new company with really sweet images!
stamp- snowflakes- Hero Arts (very old!) stamped with white Staz-on on plastic from the packaging of a recent cricut cartridge
window die- Memory Box
gems- Queen and Co
sentiment- made on my computer
foam dimensionals-Stampin' Up
ribbon- Joann

Here is a sample of the monsters I made for a 3 year old birthday celebration!  A picture of the birthday girl was glues to the belly of each monster and magnets were put on the back. (Each guest could take home a monster!) They were about 6 inches tall and I made 8 of each design.  I also made 6 larger monsters for wall decorations. They came together quickly with the Mini Monsters Cricut cartridge.

Have a great rest of the week!
Take care,
Diane

Blue without you

Here is the new sketch from OWH:



And here is my card:

supplies:
MFT stamps using memento tuxedo black and of course....copics
Core'dinations paper (pink and blue)
MME moments 6x6 paper pad (patterned paper)
ribbon- my stash
Tags- Cricut TBBM
The star was colored with Sakura gelly roll clear star pen for shine and sparkle but then I covered it with Sakura clear glaze pen- to make sure the tiny glimmer does not rub off! My photography skills do not show the shine!

I have been on a roll with My Favorite Things stamps...they are fun to color and paper piece. I have lots of other companies stamps-- really- I do! My goal for the next week will be to post a card or 2 NOT using MFT!

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day with family-hope everyone had a fabulous time as well! It was so great to spend time with my fantastic girls home from college....so sad for them to leave today, but Christmas is only weeks away and they will be home for a longer break. And Tessa.... I am so happy you finally got to experience Putnam Pantry!

Take care,
Diane

OWH midweek throwdown color challenge

Happy Thanksgiving!
This week at OWH we are challenged to make cards for our troops using silver and turquoise!

I wanted a quick card to make in between the holiday preparations so I did not color an image this time. My only use of a copic...to color the gems! The silver paper in person has a woven texture and has more of a mat shine rather than glossy. I used crystal accents to adhere the silver elements to the embossed paper.

For a quick card- I am happy with the results...I imagine this being sent to a son or grandson by one of our military members! Remember to include our troops-past and present- in our gratitudes today (and everyday!)

Supplies:
Recollections paper 6x6 pad-Jolly Holiday
silver paper-American Crafts Christmas Foil 12x12 pad
star embossing folder-The Paper Studio
Stamps- Paper Smooches
EK Success border and label punches
stars- spellbinders
gems- Queen and Company
B05 copic
black paper-stash!
I used staz-on black ink- memento smudged on the silver paper.

Have a great day,
Diane

Thanksgiving week....

...is the perfect time to say thank you to all of you who have viewed and commented on my cards! Sharing my cards on this blog was initially a bit intimidating;  but you have all been so kind and welcoming to me! Your comments are so very much appreciated! {And to my darling niece Tessa- you can comment on my blog,too- you do not have to send an email! LOL. Hope you can come create with me soon and we can post some of YOUR cards!}
Take care, Diane

OWH Sketch 147

Here is the sketch for this week.


This week was harder for me than last week- I struggled with using patterned paper- and then decided that solid cardstock would work better for the small pieces of paper at the top of the sketch. I made this card while watching the Patriots score touchdown after touchdown!   Stamped image-My Favorite Things, stamped with memento tuxedo black and colored with copics. The sentiment is from Paper Smooches.

Here is the card I tried with the pattern paper- I think there is just too much going on....no place to rest your eye. I like all of the papers- (jillibean soup) but not all in one card! The sentiment and tiny heart stamp - both from Stampin Up.

I also worked on party decorations for a family friend's 3rd birthday party next Saturday-using the Mini Monsters Cricut cartridge...I will post some pictures later this week! 

Take care,
Diane

A fun and easy sketch was posted today on the OWH blog. I already had the image (from MFT) colored-so it was a quick card to put together!  The main papers are from the Festivus pad by Recollections.  I paper pieced his clothes a few weeks ago so I do not know what company made those papers! The rhinestone snowflakes have been in my stash for a long time! The sentiment was made on my computer with Wendy medium font.

In honor of Veterans Day, here is a card with my favorite image of all time- a great digital stamp by Mo Manning http://digitalpenciltoo.blogspot.com/. I love this little boy and his boots!  Maurie Manning creates great images of kids- so fun to color!

I purchased a military digital kit online and printed a 2x3inch image of the camo print, then I fed the paper back in my printer and printed the army boy image over the camo paper.  I cut out his uniform and adhered it to another printed image that I had colored with my copics.
I am not sure who makes the pattern paper or the sentiment!  I used spellbinder dies to cut the main image and the mat.  I will really try to do better and keep track of my supplies! (and I just figured out how to get rid of the date on my photos, smack dab in the middle of the sentiment...I have a new camera!)

Thanks to all of our military folks who have sacrificed so much for our great country!

Life has been very busy, but I decided to finally start my blog so I could share some of my cards!  I enjoy looking at blogs for inspiration and ways to color or use some of my stamps. Well, it is time I joined the rest of the cardmakers out there and share some of my creations!   I am hoping that spending a few minutes each week and posting my creations will help keep me focused on making cards and scrapbooking.

Last week at Whispering Pines was a great scrapping event- lot of laughs, great food and friends and lots of paper! It was great to scrapbook again.  At home, making cards  is my preference since I can stamp, color or assemble when I have a small amount of free time. Scrapbooking is more time consuming, but I do love to put together pages!

I recently enrolled in Jennifer Mcguire and Kristina Warner's Holiday Card Workshop- they have great classes!  I love that I can watch the video whenever I want, and can re-watch forever!  This is the 2nd online class that I joined with these talented ladies as the instructors- and each series is chock full of ideas, inspiration and techniques. They have great guest designers too!  I hope to have time to use some of the new ideas in the coming weeks!

I make the majority of my cards to send to our deployed troops. I send some of my cards to Operation Write Home.  OWH is a great group of people and the sharing of ideas is overwhelming! Three shippers collect cards from all over the states and sort and pack them to go to some of the larger units; most boxes contain 360 cards!

I also send cards to smaller units, along with some of card creating gal pals! It is a blast to get together and create;  it is fabulous when we hear from some of our contacts via email or cards! My 11 year old niece also makes cards for our military- she is a joy to papercraft with!

Photographing my cards...not an easy task! I hope to improve on this skill but in the meantime, I hope my photos are clear enough!

Here is a card I recently made. I saw this technique on a few blogs.  It is quicker and easier than you would imagine! 

*Just cut 3 pieces of white paper, my largest is 5 x 3 1/4 inches, the other layers are 1/4 inch and 1/2 in smaller. I use copic X-press it blending paper or  Crafters Companion ultra Smooth Premium White Cardstock when I plan to use copics.
*Adhere the 3 layers with removable adhesive then stamp your images.
*Remove each layer and color- I used my beloved copics! I also used a clear glaze gelly roll pen by Sakura on the birds colored pink and green. the pen gives a clear shine but dries much faster than crystal glaze...and it is so easy to apply! I purchased the pen at Michaels- there is also a 10 pack with colored glaze-fun!
*Mat each layer, then assemble together.

I really like this look!

I liked it so much, I made it again with a different color scheme!

Thanks for checking out my blog!

Diane