Stars & Stamps Sketch #254

Operation Write Home has challenged us card makers with another great sketch. This one caught my eye and I decided to try it out today.
Happy Mother's Day to all you busy mom's and grandma's. Our son moved across the world to Spain last week :(   Thank goodness for Skype!

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Now that I see it, I think the card would have been better with a narrow frame of black around the embossed part. I'll just make more!

CS & Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up

Circle, Scalloped dies: Sizzix

EF: Cuttlebug

Banner die: "Classic Ribbons" by Poppy Stamps

Sentiment: Inkadinkado

Ink: "Crisp Cantaloupe" by Stampin' Up

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.

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

S & S Midweek Challenge: Cards 4 Kids

Now that our grandchild Hannah Zen is here (born August 7th at a healthy 8 lbs 11 oz), we are no longer on "Baby Watch" and I can sneak in some creative card making between trips to San Bernardino to visit her :-)
I discovered this patterned paper in my 12x12 stash (yes, I still have plenty of these oversized papers) and decided it would be perfect for a Kids Card.

Pre-colored Digital Image and Sentiment: Doodle Pantry
Patterned Paper: my stash
CS: Bazzill
Round Embellishments: Candi by Craftwork Cards

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

Relaxin' in an Easy Chair

Guess what I bought! A stamp-and-die combo I could not pass up. This easy chair is so sweet! And when I saw it I knew that the pillow could be paper-pieced and that is just what I did. Confession time: I have dies and stamps in my collection that have never been used :(
Which makes me wonder why I bought them. So today I used these while they were new and fresh and I know they will be used often.

DSP: 'Rosy' 6x6 pad by My Mind's Eye

Easy Chair Stamp and Die: 'Small Hayward Chair' by Poppy Stamps

Sentiment: from the 'island2visit' collection by The Stamps of Life

Circles Stamped next to Sentiment: from the 'French Foliage' collection by Stampin' Up!

Ribbon: my stash

Black Ink: Dragonfly Black by Color Box

Challenges:

S & S Midweek Challenge: Masculine Card

Tuesday Morning Sketches #206 (TMS is celebrating 4 years of sketches!!)

Songbird Challenge #24: Ribbon

S & S Midweek Challenge: Cards 4 Kids

This was another great challenge! Just had to decide what adorable Doodle Pantry image I wanted to use. I went for a summery theme. Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by...

Pre-colored Images, Patterned Paper, and Sentiment: 'Scuba Sheep' Digital Collection by Doodle Pantry

Oval Dies: Spellbinders

Fish Brad: K& Company

White Brads: my stash

Small Circle Punch (used at the corners): unk

S&S Midweek Challenge: Things with Wings

Yay for another chance to play with my BoBunny paper pad. This is the same one I used with the OWH
6x6 Template. With 36 pages of patterned paper, there is still plenty left :) Come join us at the Stars and Stamps Blog for a Midweek Challenge every Wednesday. It's fun ;)

DP: "Serenity Collection" by BoBunny
Butterfly Die: "Darla Butterfly" by Memory Box
Challenge: Stars & Stamps "Things with Wings"

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

S & S Midweek Challenge: Transportation

After 2 days of delving into my ancestry, it was a pleasure to create a card for this challenge! We are also in the midst of a bathroom remodel and Princess Chloe (see photo at left) is having a hard time of it with the loud noises and those strange men coming in and out. So we took a creative time-out.
First, I looked through all my digital stamps to find a mode of transportation and came up with this vintage collage. I guess it is a type of carriage (?) Oh! Just remembered I have a camel stamp. That would work, too. Maybe?
I used OWH Sketch # 160.

DP: 'Rosy' 6x6 pad by My Mind's Eye
Plain CS: my stash
Digital Stamp: 'Another Steampunk Collage' by Free Vintage Digital Stamps
Border Punch: EK Success
Square Die: unk
Digital Sentiment: Doodle Pantry

S & S Midweek Challenge: Use Three

This is a super-simple patriotic card I will use to write a note to "Any Hero". I like it when a design comes easily and can be implemented in a snap! The stars look somewhat plain--should have distressed the edges or ?

CS: Bazzill

Pre-colored Digital Image and Sentiment: Doodle Pantry

Star Punch: Marvy Uchida

S&S Midweek Challenge: Sentiment as Focal Point

This card is totally CAS and was created because I needed a sympathy card. The sentiment is not appropriate for Operation Write Home, but it fits the guideline for this challenge. Hope you like it!

Image: Inkadinkado

Sentiment: Our Daily Bread Designs

Yellow Ink: "Daffodil Delight" by Stampin' Up!

Black Ink: "Dragonfly Black" by ColorBox

CS: my stash

S & S Midweek Challenge: Thank You

Here's a different sort of card for me featuring die cuts using my Cuttlebug. This was really fun to make and I am feeling just a wee bit creative after putting all the pieces together!
This card is also entered in the Unscripted Sketches Challenge # 208, a web site I discovered yesterday. As the name implies, there is a weekly sketch challenge. This one was tricky, but I like the way it turned out ;)

DP: B & W Paper Pack by Colorbok
Buckle Die and Woodland Branch: Memory Box
Nestled Bird Die: Poppy Stamps
Yellow Cardstock: Bazzill
Square Punch: Family Treasures
Sentiment: unk

S & S Midweek Challenge: It's About Time

Embossing this card was less fun than usual as my heat tool has a mind of it's own and sometimes decides not to work. It finally did work, and here is my card.

Large Clock Stamp: "All the Time" by Hero Arts

Embossing Powder: Black by Recollections

Brad: We are Memory Keepers

Heat Tool: Recollections

Small Clock Stamp: "Time Capsule" by Fun Stampers Journey

Watermark Ink: Versamark

Clear Embossing Powder: Recollections

Border Punch: EK Success

CS: my stash

Sentiment: Studio G

Black Ink: "Dragonfly Black" by ColorBox

S & S Midweek Challenge: A Bug's Life!

Here she is. One of my favorite Doodle Pantry characters who is just about as excited as I am today! I just heard from son and d-i-l that their baby is a girl ;) Due date is August 20th. Can I stop smiling? What do you think!!!

Pre-colored Image, Sentiment, DP: Doodle Pantry

CS: my stash

Twine: Doodlebug Design

Circle Punch: Family Treasures

S & S Midweek Challenge: Your Favorite Color Combo

It is difficult to choose my very favorite colors, but one of my favorite designer paper lines is Graphic 45 and their color combinations are wondrous!
Here is my card for this challenge using DSP from the "Place in Time" collection by Graphic 45.

This card is entered into the following challenges:

OWH Stars and Stamps: Favorite Color Combo
Cat's Creations Scrapbook: WOW Wednesday Anything Goes (Blog candy here for random entries!)