July ODBD Card Challenge: Thank You

This is the last Our Daily Bread Designs challenge to benefit Operation Write Home. Since the majority of our overseas military heroes are coming home, OWH will no longer accept cards past the end of July. If card makers link up 50 cards this month, ODBD will sponsor two boxes of cards as they have done for years. What a generous organization!
Today I've used Stampin' Up! products to complete a colorful Thank You card. Hope you like it.

The colors are from the 2014-15 catalog (now expired), but the stamp sets are available in the brand new catalog for 2015-16 issued on June 2, 2015.

Ink colors top-to-bottom: Crisp Cantalope, Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana

Design Stamp Set: 'Work of Art'

Sentiment Stamp: 'Sassy Salutations'

June ODBD Challenge: Miss You cards

Well, the Operation Write Home crew has almost completed their mission and the final cards for our deployed military are due before August 1st. My box is getting full, but before I seal and send her, I want to join the current Our Daily Bread Designs challenge. If we post 50 cards with a 'I miss you' or like sentiment by the end of the month, ODBD will sponsor 2 full boxes of cards sent overseas.
So here is mine:

Patterned Paper & Aqua CS: Stampin up
Sentiment: Digital stamp from stash
Banner Dies: Sizzix
Clock Stamp: 'Time Capsule' by Fun Stampers Journey
Ink: Memento 'Tuxedo Black'

Any Hero Mail

Working on my final box of cards for Operation Write Home. This incredible organization has been sending quality homemade greeting cards to our deployed military since 2007 for these heroes to write home to family, friends, and loved ones.
I am thankful that I found OWH and have enjoyed every minute of being a part of the group including watching Sandy's videos (Sandy Allnock, Founder and CEO), following the blog hops, and making cards. I have several of these "Any Hero" cards to go in my box scheduled to be mailed the first week of July so the cards arrive long before the August 1st deadline.

I know I speak for everyone involved in OWH when I say how thrilled I am that so many of our military men and women are coming home where they belong. Praying for an end to war and no future need for this type of organization.
Thank you, Sandy, for all your hard work, late nights, endless trips to the post office, and especially your encouragement. We love you and wish the best for you always.

ODBD April Challenge: Masculine cards

Another month means another chance for OWH card-makers to create a card for the Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge! This month we are working on masculine cards. Mine is appropriate for Dad's of all ages and has a longer shelf-life than the "Happy Father's Day" cards. I actually had a completely different design in mind with a digi stamp when I started working at my craft desk today. But it didn't turn out :( So I thought of something else and this is the outcome.

ODBD has generously offered to sponsor up to two boxes of cards to be sent to our deployed military by Operation Write Home. We only need 50 cards and both boxes will ship! Thanks, ODBD!

Rubber Stamp: Inkers-a-way

Black Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Black CS: Black Onyx Pure Luxury by Gina K Designs

Patterned Paper: 'Best Year Ever' set by Stampin' Up

Orange CS: Stampin' Up

Orange Stripe: 'Bicycle Bliss' by Echo Park Paper Co.

Rectangle Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Deckled Rectangles Small

Banner Die: 'Classic Ribbons' by Poppy Stamps

Letter Stamps (DAD): 'Happy Day' clear stamps (gift with purchase of a UK crafting magazine)

ODBD March Challenge

This month Our Daily Bread Designs has again offered to sponsor up to two boxes of cards sent by Operation Write Home to our deployed military. The challenge is to use a sentiment as the focus of the card. I located odds-and-ends in my paper crafting stash and came up with this design.

A long time ago I learned the fun technique of using several "thank you" stamps in a rectangle on an acrylic block as one unique stamp. I used a variety of stamps from multiple stamp sets and stamped a few sentiments for later use. I found this one in my sentiment box, used patterned paper from my card-sized paper box, added a couple of flourish dies by Sizzix and voila!

Our Daily Bread Designs/OWH Challenge

ODBD generously sponsors mailing up to two boxes of cards to our deployed military monthly via Operation Write Home. This month's theme is add an animal to the card. Here I have used one of my favorite digital stamps from Doodle Pantry.
What a dear, tiny mouse!

Image, Sentiment, Patterned Background: Doodle Pantry
Cardstock: Bazzill
Brad: my stash
Scalloped, Plain Oval Dies: Spellbinders

November ODBD Challenge

A new month brings a new challenge from the generous Our Daily Bread Designs. When 50 card makers post an image of their card according to the current theme at Operation Write Home, ODBD sponsors 2 boxes of cards sent to our deployed service members. This month's theme is HEARTS, so here is my love card:



White, dark red CS: Bazzill
Patterned Paper: unk
Border Punch: ek success
Sentiment: Lawn Fawn (small stamp with online purchase)
Tiny Hearts Stamp: "Tree of Love" by Memory Box
Heart Dies: Impression Obsession
Heart embellishment is raised

S& S Midweek Challenge: Miss You

Operation Write Home needs Missing You cards for our deployed military to send home to their family, friends, and loved ones. I am getting ready to send a box of cards to OWH so created one more to enter this challenge. A CAS card!

DSP: Unknown
CS: Bazzill
Sentiment: "Right at Home" clear stamp set by Hero Arts
Circle Embellishment: Candi by Craftwork Cards

S & S Midweek Challenge: Masculine

My LSS had a one day super sale last week where I found this double-sided patterned paper for masculine cards. Perfect timing for this challenge!
The sentiment is raised with dimensionsls.

DSP: 'Lakeside Retreat' from the Trail Mix collection by BoBunny
Distressing ink: Chocolate by TPC Studio
Sentiment: Stampourri
Brad: my stash

ODBD April Challenge: Insects

When I realized that a butterfly is an insect, I was happy to enter this challenge at Operation Write Home.
When I completed creating my daughter-in-law's card for her first Mother's Day, I made this simple card with the leftover patterned paper. The wings are raised with dimensionals.
DSP: Perfect Petals from the Sweet Sentiments collection by Graphic 45
Die: Darla Butterfly by Memory Box

Challenges:
Our Daily Bread Designs: Insects
Bearly Mine Designs: Spring

S & S Midweek Challenge: Father's Day

My Mother's Day cards were more generic Mom cards so they can be used anytime. For Father's Day, I made these specific cards and will get them in the mail before the OWH deadline of April 30th.
The patterned papers including the images are from the Good Ol' Sport collection by Graphic 45, sentiment printed in MS Word using the Urdu Typesetting font. The flat green circle embellishment is a Candi by Craftwork Cards.

Cards for Mom

The Operation Write Home deadline for Mother's Day cards is fast approaching (March 31st). This year I opted to make several "Love You, Mom" cards instead. These can be used for the holiday or anytime of the year since it is always good to send Mom some love.
I purchased this stamp from a catalog last year and was surprised to see how large it was when it arrived. It was meant to be used for moms or sweethearts and I was determined to make it work. After a couple of fails, I settled on this simple design. The image is raised with dimensionals behind the black scalloped frame.

Image: "Deco Lady" by Stampendous
Dies: Spellbinders
Emossing Folder: Cuttlebug
CS: Bazzill
Turquoise Ink: Spectrum Noir
Black Ink: "Tuxedo Black" by Memento
Red Lips: Colored Pencil
Sentiment: "Curlz MT" font printed from MS Word.

S & S Midweek Challenge: Circles

Whoa! It has been too long away from posting. I have been making cards for OWH and dipping a toe into my 2nd hobby, ancestor searching (genealogy).
Just couldn't resist creating this card with circles based loosely on a card featured in a recent OWH video.
The larger circle 2nd from the bottom is raised.

DSP: "Botanical Collection" 6x6 paper pad by Prima Marketing
Heart Image: From the "Create a Cupcake" collection by Stampin' Up
Black CS: Recollections
Circle, Scallop Dies: Spellbinders
Black Ink: Memento

Punches, Dies, and Cocoa

Today I located my mojo for card-making and am making the most of it! Because our first grandchild is due this month, I am getting ahead with my crafting since I will be spending time away with our new little one soon :)

DSP: 'Traditional Christmas' 6x6 Paper Pad by Paper Cellar

Digital Image: Doodle Dragon Studios

Sentiment: Lawn Fawn

(One of My) Oldest Punches: Small Snowflake by Family Treasures

Circle Dies: Spellbinders

CS: Bazzill

Challenges:

OWH Midweek Challenge: Dies and Punches

SOS 112: Oldest Punch

S & S Midweek Challenge: Christmas in July

It's that time (already!) to begin making Christmas and Winter-themed cards for Operation Write Home. It is warm and a tad humid in East San Diego, and I've been wearing shorts for weeks. So I will wish for a rainy winter and begin creating cards for our deployed military.
My daughter-in-law brought a paper pad of Christmas patterned paper back from England for me so I can finally use it. These papers don't match each other--kinda strange for a 6x6 pad--but each of the patterns are very nice.
I got a great deal on the rubber stamp I used last spring. It is a "combo" wooden stamp with three stamps on one piece of wood. Another sentiment and the snowflake on the end. Pretty cool. My first card had only three flakes near the sentiment and looked too plain. As you can see, it doesn't look plain there anymore :)

DSP: Paper Cellar

Sentiment, Snowflakes: Stampourri

Ink: Night of Navy by Stampin' Up!

Ribbon: Michaels

My Oldest Embellishment

Here's my entry for Shopping Our Stash #107: Use Your Oldest Embellishment. At the beginning of the years, I purged my stash and gave away lots of stickers, papers, alphas, and seldom-used items. For some reason, I saved a number of summery stickers purchased years ago when I was scrapbooking all of our summer vacations. I CASE'd this card from one made by Sandy on her weekly OWHtv show at Operation Write Home. It is fun to tear paper and set that half-moon on the horizon :)

Colored CS: Bazzill

Sentiment: unk

Stickers: Creative Imaginations (now Splash of Color) and Autumn Leaves

I Moose Ewe!

This is one of my newest pre-colored digital stamps. It is so adorable that I couldn't stop making cards with it when I printed it out yesterday.
The image is from Dustin Pike Designs and the sentiment was created on Microsoft Word using Curlz MT font. All patterned papers from the 6x6 paper pad "Pink Lemonade" by Lawn Fawn. All cards going into my next Operation Write Home box.

(sorry about the camera strap in the upper right corner)

CTS #32

Here's another fab sketch web site CAS(E) this Sketch! I'm nuts about sketches as well as other kinds of challenges, and boy, there are a lot of them out there in cyberspace. Some of the challenge sites I have found have so many links to their challenges (like 250!!) that I feel like mine will be lost in the crowd. Plus, I don't feel like wading through all of them. Anyway, there are plenty of cards linked up on this site, generally > 100 per sketch, and the Design Team does an awesome job. Plus, these are 'clean and simple' card challenges; my favorite! So here's my take.
I may make more of these for my Operation Write Home box. Our heroes do miss their loved ones everyday.

CS: White 110 pound 'Premium' Paper from an office supply store
Patterned Paper: "Serenity Collection" by BoBunny
Stamp: "Time Capsule" set by Fun Stampers Journey
Digital Sentiment: Sabrina Lopez Dupre Designs (located in an old folder on my laptop)

The 6x6 Template

Well this was certainly fun! I used a 6x6 paper pad with patterns on one side only. I must have cut a few more pieces than necessary because I ended up with 14 cards. Here are the first 10 all put together. I am loving this idea because I like working with 6x6 pads. Thanks so much, Kathryn, for sharing these amazing templates with Operation Write Home ;)

6x6 Designer Paper Pad: "Serenity Collection" by BoBunny

Alphabet Thank You Digital Stamp: Create with TLC

Thank You Digital Stamp: The DigiChick

Cardstock: Bazzill and my stash

Green Ink: (distressing on one card) "Old Olive" by Stampin Up!

Our Daily Bread Designs June Challenge: Water

Our Daily Bread Designs will sponsor 1-2 boxes of Operation Write Home cards to our deployed military this month depending on how many cards are completed and linked up here at the Stars & Stamps Blog. Thanks again, ODBD! Here's my card.

Image, Sentiment: 'summer4fun' collection by The Stamps of Life

Cloud Dies: Memory Box

CS, Brad: my stash

Ink: Chocolate by TPC Studio

Blue Chalk: Inkadinkado