Picnic Card

I found a sketch over at OWH Stars and Stamps that I wanted to use.  I paired it with the challenge at Really Reasonable Ribbon which is a picnic-themed card using ribbon. 

I love making those little strawberries!  It is one tiny little stamp, and I stamped it in two colors - olive and smoothie.  When I put them on the circle, I used a few little pop dots so they become a little focal point.  The strawberry is from the from the Summer Days stamp set.  Such a fun little set!  Other items used are Mayberry Level 2 and stickease, i-Rock gems, and Really Reasonable Ribbon baker's twine.

This worked out great because it is also another example for my picnic-themed challenge at Sassy Lil Sketches.  I love to see you join in on that challenge during the month of July to win a RAK from me!

Cards to Share

I was getting some cards ready for mailing, and I saw two sketches that were quite similar this week. I needed two cards, so I used each of the sketches.   Here are the sketches and my cards:

Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps

Sweet Sunday Sketch

Both cards also match the color inspirations at The Play Date Cafe and Colour Q:

This is the fabulous American Celebration stamp of the month that you will be able to get on July 1st.  Oh what a wonderful star!  I love the banner, the spray of stars, the phrases, the little stars - I love everything about this set!  I can see using this one for Operation Write Home again and again!  I've paired the stamp set with paper from Fanfare.  Perfect for summer and the 4th of July!

follow your dreams

I am finally spending some much needed time in my craft room!  Shane is moving out tomorrow, and today I ran some errands to pick up those last minute needs for his apartment.  Last night he told me that he would miss our Brita water container in the fridge, so of course, I went out to buy him a Brita pitcher.  And I think I've got him stocked up on groceries for a bit.  All I can say is I am Mom, and this is what I do!

All right, down to business.  Have you been over to Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps?  They have an awesome blog hop going on right now, and I know that you will enjoy it.  They are also doing a call for cards, and you can find more information by clicking on the red, white, and blue button on my right sidebar.  This card I made today is using their weekly sketch.  I've made it clean and simple for the Secret Crafter challenge and added twine for Crafty Ho's.  I'll be using this for a graduation card.  It's masculine as is, but I was thinking that if I added a flower to the bicycle, it would work for a girl, too.

Items used: Crate Restoration; RRR twine; CTMH You & Me stamp set (available HERE only through Tuesday!)

Wishing You the Joy, Hope, and Wonder

I wanted to participate in a few challenges, so I sat down and put this card together this morning.  I used Cherie's sketch for the 14th at Sassy Lil' Sketches:

This card also works for Christmas Card Challenges (trees) and for Keep it Simple (swirls). 

I fussy cut the trees from Bo Bunny's Tis the Season.  There are swirls built in on the trees and paper - isn't that cool?!  Sometimes we can look right to our paper for the best treasures!  I've used a Penny Black sentiment to complete the card.

This one is going right into my box for Operation Write Home.  If you feel like making some extra Christmas cards, they are due to OWH by October 30th.  Also, have you been to the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps blog?  There is always SO MUCH going on over there.  Tutorials, digi images, and loads of fun challenges.  Head on over there when you have a minute - you'll be glad you did!

There are several blogs having Christmas card challenges, so I will add this card to those challenges, too!

Moving Along with the Times - Christmas
Glitterbabe's Challenge - Anything Goes
Fussy and Fancy - Christmas Colors
2 Sisters Challenge Blog - Christmas for OWH
Aimee's Challenges - Christmas
Just Inspirational - Christmas
Sentimental Sundays - Christmas for OWH

Operation Write Home Blog Hop!

I am so excited to welcome you to my little corner of the world!  If you are one of my regular readers, I am so glad that you stopped in today for this special event!!  You may want to go to the beginning at Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps.  You don't want to miss out on the great artwork, tutorials, challenges, and blog candy! 

 If you are blog hopping, you've come here from Samantha's blog.  Didn't she have some great artwork for you?  Here is the card I cooked up for you for Memorial Day weekend:

I love making cards for Operation Write Home.  I have found that it's a lot of fun to go through sketch blogs and create with the soldiers in mind.  I love making cards, but there is no way I can use all that I make!  If you are like me, click on the OWH link to find out the information as to how to go about sending cards.  Standard size is preferred (otherwise it's nice to send envelopes for different sized cards), and no glitter on these. 

Are you wanting some blog candy.  You have two chances!!  Before I go on, I will show you the candy:

Patriotic Wood Mount

Set of Unity Frames

Won't these stamps come in handy for your paper crafting needs?  Post a comment by Monday Memorial Day at 11:59 pm CST.  I am going to use the random generator on Tuesday morning to pick the two lucky winners!!

Your next stop on the OWH Blog Hop is Barb's place.  I am quite certain you are going to love her artwork!!

I want to take this time to thank our soldiers.  Without their sacrifice I would not feel so protected at this time in our country.  I am thankful for that everyday.  Families of our soldiers deserve huge thanks as well because they are making a huge sacrifice, too.  I appreciate you, and you are always in my prayers...

Little Bird

Stretch N' Bubbles had a great blog hop on Wednesday (it's still going on so you can visit!), and they are starting sketches now.  SNB is also so generous - giving a freebie digital image every Wednesday.  How fun is that?  This is the sketch:

Here is what I came up with using the freebie digital image:

The brown polka dot paper is Jillibean, and the crystal blue cardstock is CTMH.  I used my Copics to color the little bird (this is still very new to me, so I am happy this was a little bird!).  The brad and sunflower are CTMH, and the large white flower is from Color Me Crazy.  The ribbon is random.  This card also fits the challenge over at OWH Stars and Stamps which is using blue and brown.  If you see some what seems like some far-off holidays shown in my cards, I am getting ready to send cards off to Operation Write Home.  They are in need of graduation cards by April 19th and Father's Day cards by May 15th.  Check out their website here if you are interested in helping!

Here are a couple of random cards that will be sent to OWH:

Paper is CTMH Veranda, the ribbon is random, and the stamp is a Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous.  I added Glossy Accents to the sticker rounds and "big."

This is also JilliBean paper along with CTMH Colonial White cardstock.  The flower stickease are CTMH Boom-Di-Ada, and the stamp is Hero Arts.

Happy Monday Afternoon!

I already posted a few cards this morning that I did over the weekend, now I'm going to share some that I did today.  Scroll on down if you want to see that first post!

My first sketch is from Basic Grey:

For this card I used Kioshi papers.  You might now recognize it as that because it is the gorgeous backside of the floral papers. The sentiment is Hero Arts, the stamped flower and paper flower are CTMH, the gems are random, and the stamped butterflies are CTMH.  LOVE this butterfly stamped on vellum! That's a clear button in the middle of the stamped flower.  I used a little glossy accents to adhere it to the houndstooth paper to make it match the card.   This card is also suitable for the Just Add Ink wild card challenge.

The next card I'll show is for the American Crafts challenge which is to add 2+ flairs to your project.  I really like the AC flairs.  They are a ton of fun!  The paper is from the AC Dear Lizzy collection, and the oval in the middle is the AC self-adhesive paper.  Butterfly stamp is CTMH, and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.

The last sketch in this post is from OWH Stars and Stamps:

I used Tim Coffey paper along with a couple of CTMH stamps - TLC and Treasure Life.  I embossed the sentiment with Zing! vanilla.  The ribon and gems are random.  This will also fit the Just Add Ink challenge.

I spoke with my mother this a little while ago. She has COPD, and that makes the pneumonia much more difficult to deal with.  She is on continual oxygen to bring her level up, and they are working on getting her cough stopped.  Thank you to all of you who have posted or e-mailed to let me know you will keep her in your prayers!

Okay, So I Have a Couple More Cards Today!

This is my fourth post for the day, so if you'd like to see some other cards with different technique, scroll on down.   This post is for several challenges - OWH Stars and Stamps, Papertake Weekly (x2), Bo Bunny, Our Creative Corner, and Play Date Cafe.

Now, first I'd better say this.  I really do other things during my days off besides creating!  I know I've shown you a lot today, and I've been blessed with the time to craft today.  With it being Easter weekend, I don't foresee much time to create this weekend, so I wanted to get my fill in today.  Got keep up that "paper therapy," you know!!

In this post, I am going to show you a sketch from OWH Stars and Stamps:

For the card, I've used:  CTMH Dutch Blue Textured CS (front and back), CTMH stamp sets Just Because and Picture Perfect, CTMH White Embossing Powder, and random ribbon.  This card will also go in the Papertake Weekly challenge to make a spring card, and Play Date's challenge to use different blues.

Next, I'll spring you another spring card (for Papertake Weekly and Bo Bunny) that I've created with Bo Bunny Abbey Road paper.  I used the Our Creative Corner Sketch for the week.  Along with the paper, I've used CTMH ribbon, gems, and pearls and Prima flowers.

Tomorrow is my birthday - 48!  Gosh, I am certainly reaching that 50 mark awfully quickly!  I am not certain where time goes, but I think it is absolutely true when they say that time goes faster as you get older.  Mind you - I am not "getting older" by any means!  I am firm believer that you're only as old as you feel.  Today when I was raking I felt my age (LOL!), but otherwise I am as chipper as a 28 year-old.  Glad to say I am much wiser than I was 20 years ago though!!  Jerry is taking the day off of work to help me celebrate tomorrow.  Macy's has a huge garden display on their 8th floor, so I am thinking I would like to go there.  Then, of course, we'll have dinner at Tryg's where Shane will be working.  Spending time with both my men is the best present I could ask for!!

Just Add Ink & OWH Stars and Stamps Cards

I am so happy - I got my taxes done this morning!!  It's such a burden lifted to finally have them e-filed. Having cleaned everything I wanted to over the weekend, I am now free to play the next couple of days in my craft room.  YIPPEE!! 

The first card I want to show you is from the Just Add Ink sketch. What a lovely sketch!!  For this card, my ink is actually Ranger Paint in Lettuce.  Negative image stamps are so much fun to work with.  This stamp is a cling from Hero Arts. There are two rows of scallops that I created with my EK Success corner rounder.  The phrase stamp is TLC from CTMH.  The adhesive pearls and olive ribbon are also CTMH.

The next card is created from a sketch over at OWH Stars and Stamps.  I used some of the new Bo Bunny paper, Roughin' It for this one.  The tree stamp is Four Seasons form CTMH, and the phrase is a Hero Arts stamp set called Life is Not Perfect.  I've embossed the sentimetn with Zing Vanilla embossing powder.

OWH Spring Break Bloghop! I've Got a Challenge & Prizes for You!

Welcome to my stop on the OWH Spring Break Bloghop! If you've arrived here from Kathy's blog, I am so glad to have you join me! If you've stumbled upon this hop, you may want to start at OWH Stars and Stamps to read all the wonderful blogs.

I started making cards for Operation Write Home a couple of years ago. I have had several family members that have served in wartime. My father was in the Korean War, and you are looking at a picture of him from the Air Force Base in Wyoming waiting to fly to Japan. He was just shy of being 18 years old. He served as a medic during the war. As is common, he didn't talk much about his service. But when he did, I knew that this time in his life changed him.

It is an honor and a privilege to be able to send cards to Operation Write Home. My freedoms are reliant on the men and women serving, and I feel very blessed. If you would like to donate handmade cards to Operation Write Home, please click the above link. The deadline for sending Mother's Day cards is April 1st.

I've got a couple of different prizes to give away during this bloghop. YIPPEE!! We all love prizes!! Here are the two ways you have a chance to win:

1) Leave me a comment on this post. I'd love for you to be a follower of my blog and visit me now and again, but that is not a requirement! Deadline for commenting is 11:59 pm CT on Sunday, March 21st. I'll let Random Generator pick, and I'll post the winner on Monday, March 22nd!

2) I've created a card sketch for you! Follow this sketch, flipping and turning it anyway you'd like. For an added twist, I want you to create a SPRING card keeping in the theme of the bloghop. Use Mr.Linky at the bottom of this post to attach your direct link to the card (make sure it goes right to your card!). if you do not have a blog and want to play, send a picture of your card to girlygirlrose43@msn.com. The deadline for this sketch is Saturday, March 27th at 11:59 pm CT. Again, I'll let Random Generator choose again, and I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 28th!

Here's the card sketch:

This is what I've done with the sketch. I've embossed the big dandelion puff. If you click on the picture to make it larger, you'll see that the puff sparkles. Here's a great tip for those of you that like sparkle, but not the mess of glitter. Add a tiny little bit of prisma glitter to your embossing powder. It will heat set with the embossing powder and it will not fall off. This is especially important when making cards for OWH. No glitter allowed, so this is a great way to add sparkle!


I'll bet by now you are wondering what the prizes are. Here's a picture of the whole package valued at $60! I am going to divide it into two prizes. Two lucky winners will each receive half of these flowers, stickers, rub-ons, gems, felt, etc. Are you excited?!!



Your next blog on the hop is Amy (click here). Be sure to leave her some love! I've been checking out her blog and love her artwork!! Happy creating and hopping!

**JUST A NOTE - Mr, Linky is where you attach your card from the sketch to be eligible for the sketch drawing.  If you are commenting, please click on "comments" under the Mr. Linky box.  Thanks!!**

Mother's Day and Kioshi

I am working on Mother's Day cards today for Operation Write Home. It is so much fun to use the rich new spring papers! For all the following cards, I am using Basic Grey's Kioshi. I think I have become attached to it because even though it is spring paper, there are warm undertones.

So let's take a look at the first sketch from OWH Stars and Stamps:

I sae this card in a unique sort of way. Rather than two diagonal pieces on the front, I created a diagonal pocket. Because this card is 5x7, it will give one of our soldiers a good amount of room to write on the insert and on the back of the card. The stamps used are Recollections and Stampendous. The gems are CTMH and Hero Arts. The ribbon is from Walmart.

Great sketch from the OCC Sketch Blog:

The stamps is a Stampendous wood mount. The gems are from Michael's, the button and waxy flax from CTMH, and the ribbon is from Wal-Mart.

My final Kioshi card is a sketch from CPS:

Believe it or not, I love clean and simple cards. I am very taken by this sketch because of that. I've rounded the corners with my Corner Chomper. Ribbon is Walmart, stamp is Stampendous, and bitty sparkles are from CTMH.
Well, I'm off to make some more cards. I just love having days off!!

More Mama-Razzi

I had a little of the Mama-razzi paper (Bo Bunny) left, so I thought I'd use it up to create some cards. I can't tell you how much I love this paper. Gosh, it's the rich colors I love to work with, and it's oh, so very nice for any-gender cards. Lovely!

The first sketch is from Our Creative Corner:

Along with the Mama-razzi paper, I used Outdoor Denim ribbon and the Coffee Stain stamp set from CTMH. I used the photo corners punch from SU, and I created my scalloped border with my EK Success corner rounder.

Next, I played with Inspirational Card Sketches:

Lots of pivotal stampling in this card. The ribbon and buttons are CTMH, and the stamp is Hero Arts.

My third sketch today is from the OCC Sketch Blog:

I used my scalloped circles and regualr circles form Nestabilities. The brads, ribbon, and stamp are CTMH.

Finally, the sketch from OWH Stars and Stamps:

Such a simple card - love it! The title holder, rub-on, and ribbon are CTMH. This is perfect for a man's birthday.

Live Wonderful with Hugs and Laughs

This is my second post for the day, so scroll on down if you'd like to see some more artwork!

I have a few cards to share with you this afternoon. I've used different colors than what I normally create with, so I've had a lot of fun playing! All of these sketches had something in common. They are simple yet filled with loads of possibilities. LOVE that in a sketch!

Here is the sketch from OWH Stars and Stamps:

Items used: Best Creations glittered paper, Bo Bunny ribbon, and Hero Arts sentiment

The next sketch is from the OCC Sketch Blog:

Items used: Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper, Mary Engelbreit gems & cherries, CTMH grosgrain, Slice Basics 1 design card

Finally, I have a sketch from Our Creative Corner:

Items used: Cosmo Cricket Joy Ride paper, Hero Arts cling stamp, CTMH brads, buttons, and hemp.