More Soldier Cards...

How's this for timing?? I got this wonderful information today from the folks at Hero Arts and was wowed at the timing! I'll be looking to make more cards asap and wanted to pass along links to anyone interested in making their own cards for our own American heros serving the USA far from home. This drive is for blank cards the troops can send home. What a great idea!! I plan to donate some of my challenge cards that are piling up on my work table. How about you?

If you'd like to join Hero Arts for a weekend of cardmaking September 10-12, 2010 check out out the blog mid-page HERE.

Here are some great links if you'd like to join Operation Write Home (OWH):
- Operation Write Home
- OWH Birthday Bash
- Hero Arts Blog
- Important Guidelines
- OWH on Facebook

Soldier Cards

My day at the work table making a few cards for my dil Michelle and her co-workers collection destined for soldiers serving in Iraq was productive. I finally used my Songbird cartridge for the Cricut too. It was rewarding to use a number of sheets I had hanging around here that I just couldn't figure out how to use...you know the ones that look like they're meant to be a scrapbook background page? The thought came to me that maybe I wasn't seeing it because they were more masculine looking than I usually use and wow, what better way to use them! I hope they look okay for sending to mostly male soldiers so far from home.

These 4 simple cards are a perfect starting point for me. I hope they work for Michelle & co.!

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge

This week's theme at Simon Says is "GIFT", not a hard one since I was planning to make this for a friend who is retiring at the end of the month.

I made Dona a set of 12 note cards and box figuring she'll need some extra thank you notes. This is the first time I've tried making flowers and was surprised it is easy. I used a punched 1.5" scalloped circle for these. Each flower is antiqued with a lavendar cat's eye stamp pad and has a faux crystal center. The cardstock is mostly SEI's Bridgeport collection. I folded the box with my MS board and was disappointed that the cardstock split when folded on the long sides which I tried to disquise it by antiquing the edges of the box. The decorated flap conceals a small circle of self-adhesive velcro.

All That Scraps & Flutter By Wednesday Challenges

This sweet little pumpkin fairy is a digital stamp by CC Designs from ATS. I used by graphics program to resize the image and add a sentiment for my granddaughter. My thought is I'll send her $5. so she can go with Mommy & Daddy to buy her own Halloween pumpkin but then again, maybe grandma will get to take her since a new baby brother or sister will be joining the family about 2 weeks before Halloween!!!

For this card I: colored the image with copic markers and highlighted it with a Sakura white med. pt. marker. The wings were "bling-ed" with diamond Stickles and the sentiment was embossed with a clear gel pen. I antiqued the edges of the card which I drew a border box around in my graphics programs and layers on a square of yellow distressed cardstock. The Flutter By challenge was: 3 buttons, 2 papers, & sparkle...I think this fills all the requirements. I added a few orange & yellow silk flowers, papers, & some dotted ribbon from my old stash to complete the card.
I added my first blog blinkie earned for one of my cards! It was bestowed on me from Flutter By for my fun little birthday Butterfly Tilda...I'm very thrilled and thankful to FBW.

Both of the above challenges end today! Winners & new challenges are announced on Wednesdays each week.

New Challenge at Simon Says...

Yes, you guessed the theme here is all things Tim Holtz! I love this one and will be off plotting what I can come up with that fills the bill. I love altered art so this shouldn't be too much of a stretch for me. Look at the awesome prize provided by Simon Says for the random winner:

Hurry over and enter...this ends Sunday, 8/29 at midnight.

Off to create...

1000 Sheets of Paper

Honestly, I learn so much blog hopping everyday! Today's find is the 1000 Sheets of Paper blog candy here and Pure Innocence stamps & digis so...this blog hopping stuff is a good thing. I love it when I find something new to love. Be sure to click the title line to visit and enter the blog candy giveaway by September 4th.




I have this terrific pal who is a good friend of a good friend, for about 30 years, named Dona. Lately, Dona and I and her super DH, Bobby, have been enjoying beads and have attended 3 huge shows in the Wilmington & Philly area. My hopes are to start making some serious items soon AND I've got to get these great bracelets listed in my Etsy.com store soon. Email me or comment here if you're interested in one...I'm only charging $10. per bracelet and they are smashing with so many charms!

My new digi discovery would is the wonderful Pure Innocence collection by Heather Ellis. I bought 5 digi stamps today since they're having a super sale and I could pay with Paypal. Do yourself a favor and check them out soon!

My kiddos are coming by for homemade Italian pasta & pea soup so I've got to run for now!!

Amazing Pencil Carvings and BAF is BACK!!

You won't believe these amazingly tiny carvings. Be sure to click the title above to see more facinating mini sculptures.

I'm thrilled to report after a year hiatus the Brandywine Arts Festival is back on September 11th & 12th. This has been a destination of mine for many, many years. I was an exhibitor 3 years when my kids were small before moving on to sculpting and attending/exhibitingat trade shows on either coast. I have always hoped to someday come back to this show and who knows now that it's back...I just might have a chance!

Click here to go to the BAF website.

Song Inspired!

"Scrapbooks, Etc." is having a challenge! Bring on your favorite song and incorporate it into a scrapbook layout. If you post it by October 12 in their assignment gallery...you've got a shot of being published in their magazine. How cool would that be?? Check out the rules, etc. by clicking the title of this post and have lots of fun.

I'd love it if you add a comment here with a link to your blog where my visitors can see your entry!

Spotted Canary Contest...Thrifty & Recycle

Here is the beginning of a recycled mini hatbox! I used a spent roll of Scotch package sealing tape as my base.



I lined the inside and bottom of the roll with leftovers of lavendar solid paper, the outside with remanents of a cardmaking project, Basic Grey's Wisteria cardstock (3 circles make the bottom, 2 strips for the lining/exterior). To construct the lid, I cut 3 circles (1 chipboard, 2 c/s), 2 strips (1 c/b, 1 c/s). 2 holes are punched on the lid rim & a small length of green ribbon for a handle and voila'...a mini hatbox!!
Of course, the 3 mulberry paper rose leaves and handmade hydrangeas are icing on the cake. The hydrangeas were made using Martha Stewart's hydrangea punch that has 3 petals. I added a little pink & lavendar Flower Soft to the centers. For the lid flowers, I was inspired by Ellen Hutson's Classroom tutorial from Susan Tierney Cockburn which can be seen HERE.

Vote for my outfit in the Create Your Own TangerSTYLE Contest!

Vote for my outfit in the Create Your Own TangerSTYLE Contest!

Triple Challenge...Oh my!!

Here's my 5.5" square card interpretation of the wonderful Dawny P. sketch for challenge #68 which I will enter at #68 Just Magnolia, #3 Totally Tilda and Flutter By Wednesday also:



This is the sketch I followed for this card:

The recipe:
-5.5" square purple card
-Basic Grey Wisteria & misc. solid scraps of cardstock
-Neenah solar white centerpiece background cardstock
-Anna Griffin lavendar stamp pad (centerpiece background images)
-Color Box wisteria stamp pad (antique cardstock edges)
-Offray 5/8" wire-edge lavendar ribbon
-Brass butterfly stamped charm from my vintage stash of charms
-Diamond Stickles to highlight wings & back ground
-Copic markers

Stamps used: Magnolia Butterfly Tilda, G Studio i.Cling Hydrangea, Basic Grey Hydrangea, TPC sentiment

Hurry...Just Magnolia challenge ends 8/19 at 8 pm UK! Flutter By ends Tuesday evening August 17th! Totally Tilda starts new on the 2nd Sunday and you can enter up to 4 times per month. Flutter By is a weekly Weds. challenge.

Mojo Monday #151

Missed Mojo Monday last week as well as a lot of others...will try again! The good news is I have a number of August birthdays so I'll be in good shape for birthday cards.

So here we are and finally a card to submit to the Mojo Monday challenge! Mine is a little weak because I'm really not up to par making cards for little boys. It is definitely different. I hope my 2 year old great nephew likes his b'day card! Party time this coming Sunday for little "O"!!

Supplies: 5.5" square blue card, yellow cardstock, 2 patterned papers, border punch, green oval, Nestabilities scalloped oval handstamped with Stampin Up vintage set. Orange gingham check ribbon, 2 Button Ups, 1 Mullberry blue/white daisy, unknown green frog head charm & green saftey pin. Sentiment & frog were coated with clear dimensional coating to glaze. Sentiment was created by me and antiqued with green stamp pad.

Making An Easel Card

What a fun project! I'm hooked and thought visitors would enjoy the following links for pointers & a video to make easel cards.

Click here for instruction that are printable too. Be sure to check the bottom of the article for information on altering cards sizes.
Or...
...here for a great Youtube video.

Credit goes to the wonderfully talented Beate from SCS for these tutorials!

Mojo Monday

I'm going to try my best to make a card for the Mojo Monday challenge...one I've never entered before. I have so many stamps other than Tilda...it will be a nice change of pace. I was searching for a challenge without a product tie in so this is perfect!! Kudos to my papercrafting gal pal in Texas, Karen, for turning me on to Mojo Monday.

Well, the weather was uncooperative for photography Saturday & Sunday around here so I missed getting my card in for this challenge but here it is just for fun...

For this card, I used Basic Grey's Wisteria collection of cardstock with solid colors from my scrap box. The centerpiece was stamped with BG clear stamps from the same collection. The sentiment is a TPC clear stamp. (I don't recommend these as the image quality is poor.) I used dimensional tape to layer it over the beautiful ruffled ribbon from American Crafts. I've been anxious to make something with this beautiful collection from Basic Grey and love the outcome!

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Time to get started on my stash of Christmas cards...I love to make cards but am horrible about getting around to mailing. This year the goal is to make one special card for each of my close family members...we'll see if I succeed!!

Please stop by the first entry for today's twosome of challenges...you can visit All That Scraps. Click the link above to head to ATS, entries due by Tues., 8/17 at 10 p.m.

My easel card was made with vintage, distressed layers of Cosmos Cricket papers, plus a circle of MME thrown in for good measure. It has a wreath of diecut gingerbread men from Cricut's Joy of Christmas cartridge and peppermints stamped from a Sassafrass Lass clear stamp. Punched hearts were added to the gingerbread men. The sentiment is by Martha Stewart. I added a brown dotted ribbon from my stash and popped dotted Magnolia's Cowberry Muffin Tilda to the side of the wreath. Tilda was handcolored with Copic markers. A little Stickles was added to her wings for bling!

My second entry goes for the first time to Scapgirl-Angie for her red/brown easel card challenge. Brown & red is one of my favorite Christmas color combos because it reminds me so much of baking so I just had to play along on this fun challenge. I have done a number of "Baking Memories" scrapbook layouts through the years using the same color scheme and will try to post photos of one soon...better yet, maybe I'll make a new one.

This card is destined for my special little granddaugther, Robin!

Hi everyone! I hope you like my fringed bookmark. This was a fun challenge I made for a couple great challenges....Copic Creations and Flutter By Wednesday Challenge. It is created with a free download of clipart by wonderful children's illustrator and author Elizabeth O. Dulemba. I liked the little fairy a top a pile of books so much I made it in triplicate for myself and friends.

My recipe: colored with assorted Copics, double layers of green & purple mats which I rounded corners on and attached to double layers of purple word paper with green, white and purple frothy ribbons, and some diamond Stickles on the wings for bling. I added a little chipboard button with a tiny row of purple velvet rickrack I have been saving for years for a special project like this! I sewed around the bookmak then added 2 rows of handpunched lace in green that covers an edge treatment I didn't like! (Funny how forgiving papercrafting is that way :-O) I hope you enjoy it and will give one a try soon.

Totally Tilda Challenge #2

The theme for challenge #2 at Totally Tilda is a shaped card. I chose a Christmas stocking shape for my card. I used shabby prints from Fancy Pants in non-traditional colors for Christmas. The Tilda Elf sits in a pop-dotted frame to give her fun dimension. I made a trio of buttons for the cuff in an assortment of coordinating polka dots. This can be used as a card or glued around the perimeter as a stocking for your recipients favorite giftcard. The challenge ends Aug. 14th so hurry over and enter yours!

All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge

All That Scraps Weds. Challenge
#40 Color Challenge:
Chocolate, Aqua, & Khaki

Love this color combo!

It made me think of coffee
for some reason.



Meet Coffee Kiki LaRue by CC Designs...she is a digital download I printed on Bristol cardstock and colored with a mix of Copics & watercolor pencils. The base card is khaki cardstock by Bazzill with layers of paper on top from the SEI Dill Blossom collection. A few brown Prima Sprite Flowers, with brown crystal centers, and a couple inches of Bo Bunny Double Dot Decaf Ribbon finish things. This will make a great little gift with a decorated kraft bag full of gourmet coffee beans!

Edwin Challenge

"Fangtastic" has a clear iridescent coating that doesn't photograph so well!
I don't have many boys in my family so this vintage Dracula Edwin is my only stamp unless we count Edwin's Snowman! The card was created for the Magnolia Stamp Lovers Challenge. He made a great little Halloween card and I can't wait to make more with my old iron fence stamp. The sentiment is by Stampendous.

My watch word is "conserve" so I'm trying to use up my stash of paper & embellishments. I didn't purchase anything new for this card...my DH would be so proud!

I enjoyed adding subtle distressed touches to the card along with a cute little bat button! The jack-o-lantern rests on a bed of black branches with a green wire vine. The 2 shades of orange brads fill an empty corner and balances out the card. They are from the same set of old Halloween brads by Queen & Co. This little Edwin was a mixed media man...his cape was paper pieced, along with an assortment of gray & flesh Copics and, since my collection isn't big just yet, I did his hair with gray Copics and watercolor pencils. I've learned through trial and error that purchasing a black Copic was a waste, I don't like the look of solid black and it doesn't shade well. The sentiment, pumpkin & Edwin were all pop-dotted to add some fun dimension to the 5.5" square black card.

Spotted Canary Contest...

Spotted Canary is having a contest! Reduce, reuse and recycle something into something and enter your's by 8/31/10. Click the link above to go to the site for inspiration. I have an idea...hmmm...

The prize is $300. smackaroos...not too shabby so I might have to work extra hard on this one! The winner's will be notified on 9/5 so get busy.

7 Kids Challenge Blog

One of my favorite places online has added a challenge blog today! They have the greatest selection of Magnolia stamps I've seen anywhere as well as lots of other items...namely my new favorite stamps ~ Kraftin Kimmie. I just love spending time there dreaming about all the stuff I'd love to have. A nice $50.00 prize would buy a lot of Kraftin Kimmies, considering 7 Kids prices are the best around too.

I'm thrilled to enter their first challenge and can't wait to see who wins...me pleeeeez! I love altered art and distressing so this was a tiny return to my roots and an experiment for a momentous occasion. Good luck & thanks to 7 Kids!!

My card was created with a base layer of Bo Bunny Double Dots with additional antiqued & distressed layers sewn with a scribbly free-form stitch on a khaki Bazzill cardstock 5.5" square card. I made 1" polka dot button with 1" round Bazzill chips which I covered with polka dot scraps from my stash, added a bit of cluny lace & pink Bo Bunny DD ribbon to this sweet little Ladybug Tilda (purchased at 7 Kids, of course.)

I stamped Tilda on Neenah cardstock and hand colored her with Copics and a little added white highlight. Tilda is pop-dotted on a Spellbinder's cut scalloped oval that was stamped with Magnolia bees & handcolored. The bee wings were coated with an irridescent gel pen to give them bling. I intended to post Tilda tonight but my photos show a mistake the old eyes missed so I'm correcting and will post on Thursday a.m.

HAPPY B'DAY CARRIE!

I couldn't ask for a sweeter, more loving daughter!

Happy August 1st!!

I have spent the morning looking at so many blogs and challenges and am now totally bleary-eyed. One email from a blog I subscribe to has the neatest challenge going on at a spot I've long considered but never entered. Today's email from Jodi at Inked Inspiration was so tempting I think I'm going to have to jump in, finally! The challenge is sponsored by Copic Creations. Best of all the challenge turned me on to some great free digital art by children's book illustrator (my secret ambition) and author, Elisabeth Dulemba. Her link to free coloring pages is at the right. The challenge ends August 14th.

For visitors who aren't familiar, Copics are wonderful alcohol-based markers used in illustration...I've just started collecting them this year from Period Style. Their prices are some of the best I've found and I'm never tempted to buy other items I don't need since they only sell Copics! Shipping is fast and economical too.

Well...am off to work on my project and to finish some items too!