Expressions of a Craftaholic

Seeing Green!

2012-02-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hey All!

The Crafty Contagion is holding another challenge and today's is the color green! Make sure to stop by and play along with the rest of the Divas!

I Love You

I'm still using my Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments for a lot of my cards lately. I stamped three hearts and then fussy cut them and popped them with dimensionals. I then added some bakers twine followed by stamping the sentiment. I'm loving the CAS phase that I'm stuck in these days!

Thanks for stopping by!

OWH VCMP Fun!

2012-02-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

Hey All!! I'm catching up on life after CHA and DisneyLand and managed to sneak a card in to share with you! While Sandy's out at sea, the OWH team is holding a Virtual Card Making Party! How fun!!

I Miss You

I used a regular heart punch to get the heart effect. Time consuming but worth it! It also gave my 4yr old something to punch! The sentiment used on my card is from the Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments set.

Maile Belles

I was inspired by this card by Maile Belles. Her card is totally adorable and sweet!

I'm submitting my card for the following VCMP challenges:
VCMP #6 Sand and Sea Blue heart and twine and Kraft card stock as my tan!
VCMP #7 CAS Though punching and adhering all those hearts may not really be simple!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

S&S Sketch Challenge #104

2012-01-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

Hey All! I am on a total patriotic Thank You kick it seems. I'm not complaining though! I'm truly grateful for the sacrifices our Heroes make! The following card is for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #104.

Thank You

I've been doing a lot of sewing lately so it felt really great to get my hands back on paper! I used the Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments set for the stars and sentiment and some divine twine.

THANKS for stopping by!

S&S Sketch Challenge #102

2012-01-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Hey All! I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year! Sketch 102 is up on the S&S blog so make sure you go play along!

We Salute You

I really like this sketch. It's super simple and you could switch it up with twine or ribbon rather than those paper strips. I used an Amuse stamp set given to me by a friend that I believe is called Hero Mail. This card is off to my AnyHero pile.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous week!

S&S Midweek Throwdown

2011-12-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

Hey All! There's a new Midweek Throwdown Challenge up on the S&S Blog and the theme this week is Thank You cards! Dixie, one of our awesome OWH shippers, has passed on her shipping duties after 2 years and OWH wants to share our gratitude with her. So get into your craft zones and make some Thank You cards to send to our Nations Heroes!!

Thank You for your Service

I absolutely love my new stamps from La-La Land Crafts! This one is Saluting Marci. Isn't she just adorable! I also have Saluting Luka but have yet to color him. Part of the proceeds from both Marci and Luka will go to OWH. The papers are from a K&Company Americana Specialty Pack and the sentiment is from Saluting Marci. I hand cut out Marci and then popped her with some dimensional tape. A little distressing to the flag layer and a few brads completed this card.

Thanks for checking out my card and make sure you go play along!!

Merry Christmas Crafters!

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Just wanted to squeeze in a little blog post for those of you cruising the internet these holidays.

Merry Christmas

I made this card for my mother. I always love posting my cards and sharing them with all of you but had to hold off on this one since she's probably my best follower. This card was so fun to make! I started with a piece of SU Vanilla card stock and embossed my Hero Arts music note stamp. I then took some Tim Holts Distressed Inks and distressed the background until the music notes popped. I then clear embossed my SU Dasher and distressed to make him pop as well. I used the OWH Star Burst tutorial for my dsp layer and embellished with some Making Memories hat pins and poinsettias. Finished it off with some letter stickers to say Merry Christmas!! Oh, and that little bitty cute button too!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! Merry Christmas!!

A Little Teacher Appreciation

2011-12-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

Teacher Appreciation

Did you thank a teacher this Christmas? I think teachers hardly receive the respect and gratitude they deserve for mentoring our children during the school year. My daughter is only in Pre K but her teachers are so wonderful and she always wakes up excited to go to school. She's learning sign language and better manners from these ladies and I am truly thankful! I took some simple Christmas ornaments I found at Ikea and personalized them with each teachers name by using some Making Memories stickers that stay put! I bought the little containers at Michaels and dressed them up with a little ribbon and stamping and filled them with chocolate. They may be simple but the ladies loved them!

OWH Hero Arts SKIP!!

2011-12-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

Hey All! Have you enjoyed all the beautiful cards along the skip! Our OWH gals are pretty amazing! If you are lost or just happened to stumble upon my blog you can visit the beginning by skipping back to the Stars and Stamps blog.

OWH is giving away one of each of the Hero Arts stamp sets, and the 3 winners will be picked from all comments on all the blogs in the skip - the more blogs you comment on, the more entries you have! Winners will be drawn Sunday night!

I love you

Here's my card. I used the Year Round Sentiments set. I love this set! My papers are actually from a Halloween pack I bought at Impress. Never let the theme of the pack hold you back! I added some stickles and topped them with glossy accents to add some much needed embellishment to my card as well as a few star brads!

Close Up

Your next stop on the skip is Sandy at A Colourful World! I know for certain she has whipped up something amazing for you!

Thanks for skipping by! Have a great weekend!

S&S Sketch Challenge #99

2011-12-13T07:51:00.000-08:00

Hey All! We are almost on our 100th sketch challenge on S&S! How cool is that! My card for you today is for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #99. Before I share that one with you I'd like to share the one I made for last weeks sketch!

Happy Birthday CJ

I had to skip on playing last weeks sketch #98 in order to make sure my step son received his birthday card in the mail before it posted online. I added a couple layers to the card and skipped on using a circle but I am very happy with how it turned out. The boy image is Birthday Josh from Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps. Sparkles stamps are deeply etched and stamp perfectly..I only wish to own them all! =)

You're so special to me

So this is my card for Sketch #99. I love the whole star burst paper effect but have honestly taken months to try it out. (Haven't tried it yet? Tutorial Here) I'm very happy with the detail it adds to the card! Love the Sentiment? Is from the new OWH Hero Arts sets.. CL582 Year Round Sentiments. I absolutely love this set! The sentiments are the perfect addition to any stash!

Sketch 99 Sample Card

My sample card for the challenge. I used my CL582 Year Round Sentiments to create the background paper and for the sentiment. Lots of dimensional adhesive to make my layers pop!

Well, thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous day!

12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

Hey All!

There's a special treat for you on the Crafty Contagion Blog..The 12 Days of Christmas by the Divas! Hop on over to view some very inspirational cards!

4 Calling Birds

My card is pretty clean and crisp. I stamped the tree, birds, and snowflakes and then embossed them with clear embossing powder. I used some Tim Holts distressed inks to help create the background. I cut the snow piles from some scraps and ran them through my CuttleBug. I used some silver cording I had leftover in my stash for a little accent.

Enjoy your weekend!!

Toddler T-shirt DIY

2011-12-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hey All! So today I have a post for you unlike all my others...a sewing DIY. My little girl seems to be stuck in a growth spurt and running low on clothes that fit. My solution..sew something new out of something old.

While we were still living in Seattle we went to a Storms game and received a few of their shirts for free. Well, I can't quite send her to Pre K in a shirt that would serve her better off as a nightgown. Time to get creative!

First, I grabbed two of the shirts and carefully cut the sleeves off. I then cut and separated the fronts from the backs. I took one of the back pieces and decided to crease and sew it wrong sides together every one inch.

Next, I gathered some freezer paper and a well fitting shirt and used this tutorial here to draft my pattern.

I then cut out all my pieces from the shirt trying to use the original hems. Sew the front and back shoulders together. Attach the sleeves and sew up the sides of the shirt. Zig Zag stitch or serge to finish your seams. Step back and admire your work!

The fronts still attached to the neck hole make perfect capes for the little men in your life as well!

(I promise you his socks are gray and not dirty!!)

Thanks for stopping by! If you decide to make a shirt please share!

OWH Sketch Challenge #97

2011-11-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

Hey All! I have a cute House Mouse stamped card for you today! There's a new OWH sketch challenge up on the S&S Blog that I'm finally back to playing around with. When I first looked at the sketch I thought I should skip it...but I'm glad I changed my mind!

I really did not think this card would turn out cute. I used some papers I picked up at a scrapbook store on the road trip here and the sentiment is SU Word Play. The ribbon is something I won a while back and was hoarding. I've been holding myself strong to my no more hoarding rule! Thanks for stopping by!

Crafty Contagion Left Overs!

2011-11-26T07:06:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Long time no blog. We are finally all moved in and unpacked in our new home! YAY! I'm not missing the Washington weather but my Divas are another story! I miss being able to get together with friends and spend the day crafting but thankfully I have the Crafty Contagion to get my fix! This weeks challenge at the Crafty Contagion is Leftovers! Use up those scraps that you and I both know you have laying around!

Merry Christmas

I guess I should be honest and tell you this is my first personal Christmas card I've made this year. I'm a little behind in getting started but at least it's still November! I used up some old SU! DSP and card stock and some yummy twine. Every other one inch square is popped up with dimensionals. I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Happy crafting!

Crafty Contagion Pumpkin Challenge!

2011-10-22T03:54:00.000-07:00

Hey All! This sweet card share today was made for the new challenge over on the Crafty Contagion, Pumpkin!

I Miss You

I had a really challenging time making this card...HONEST! We are in the middle of a cross country move and all I have on hand is a tiny pack of paper, some images, letter stickers, brads and a little ribbon and flowers. We are talking less than a yard of ribbon and 24 sheets of 6x6 paper. Oh and scissors...no paper trimmer!! I'm sure there will be some triage to this card when we reach Arizona since I fully believe our troops deserve straight crisp cuts!

Have an awesome weekend and make sure to go play along at Crafty Contagion!!

Crafty Contagion Twine Challenge!

2011-10-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all! There's a new challenge blog up and totally fun! Crafty Contagion is a fun new blog started by my favorite group of monthly Stamping Together Divas! The first challenge to kick off the blog is to use Twine! Soo easy! Hope you all can play along!

tis the season

Have you ever had a card fully planned out in your head but couldn't get it to come to life? Insert this card there! I had something completely different in mind for this card. It has grown on me though and now I like it but I was so disappointed when I first made it. I used SU card stocks, embossing folder and brads to make this card. I used my Copics to make a few of the snowflakes pop and Tonic punches for the deer. The twine is from our crazy Stamping Together Divas order. I don't think I'll ever buy twine again!

Tonic Challenge

2011-10-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends! I have a super cute card to share! There's a challenge up on the Tonic blog to create a fall themed card using one of their punches. I don't own many punches but I am fortunate to have a friend who does and she had this cute tree punch by Tonic. Makes a great inchies card!

a Tonic hello

Are they cute or what! I used a Tonic punch to create this card and carefully cut around each tree to form 1" squares (I finished wishing for a square punch!) and used dimensional foam to make them pop on colored 1" squares. The card stock and sentiment are from SU! as well as the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.

Happy Birthday Kaden!

2011-09-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

Today is my handsome little nephews 1st Birthday! I made the following card special just for him and decided to make a couple extra to send to OWH.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday Kaden! Aunt Sam and your cousins can't wait to meet you!

S&S Sketch Challenge #88

2011-09-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hey crafty friends! I've got a card share for you today. There's a new sketch challenge up over on the OWH S&S Blog so be sure to check it out and play along!

Merry Christmas

I'm finally cutting up all the pretty paper I love to hoard! It feels great to use up that stash! All supplies for my card are SU!

I'm So Grateful Challenge

2011-09-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

I swear we are blowing up blogger today! Another Birthday Bash Challenge to share with you. If you'd like to play along click HERE.

Thanks

I really wanted to make an AnyHero card that wasn't RWB. There's nothing wrong with those colors at all and thats how I normally do all my cards but I felt a small need for change. I love ruffled cards and I remember seeing one done with circles so I gave it a shot. It's a little hard to get them lined up straight but I think the end result was well worth it. A sweet Hero message from my mother is written inside.

I also wanted to add that since my twine was so thick I used a hole punch on the edges not only to keep it in place but to help it fit the envelope.

Birthday Bash Challenge: CASE our featured cardmaker!

2011-09-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

I took a break from the VCMP to go work on some of the Birthday Bash Challenges. One of the many fun challenges going on was to CASE the featured Cardmaker. Kelly Rae has several beautiful cards shared on the post but I decided to CASE her black flower card. I mostly chose to copy the layout and add a bow.

Princess

I used SU DSP, a Bugaboo image, some Twine and eyelets. I think any little princess would enjoy this card!

VCMP Challenge 3 Unique Christmas

2011-09-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Challenge 3 of the VCMP is to make a Unique Christmas card without the traditional Christmas colors. It was a little harder than I thought it would be for me and I am honest when I say I colored this image three times before it became non traditional. My daughter was tasked to color too but decided to go hang out with her daddy instead so I had to do the work this time! Enjoy!

Celebrate!

I hate that my camera makes it look red. It's actually a deep pink, light pink, green, and blue. The papers are from my stash. The image is by Broken Box Stock and the sentiment is by SU! Thanks for looking!

VCMP Challenge 2 Nature

2011-09-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad that my card making mojo decided to come back just in time for the VCMP over on the S&S Blog. The second challenge was to create a card with the theme of Celebrating Nature. If you would like to play along too please click HERE. Here is my card.

Celebrating Nature

Yes. I. Know. VERY BRIGHT COLORS. Thanks to my awesome 4 year old and her amazing coloring skills and paper choices! I love the image and her added sun and sky. This would truly make me smile to receive in the mail. The DSP is from my stash (I should say her stash) and I used Melon Mambo and Chocolate Chip CS. I gave credit to her on the back of the card by simply writing "Colored by Lainey Age 4" Get the kiddos involved in your life. I find them to be the best inspiration!

VCMP Challenge 1 Garanimals!!

2011-09-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

It's Virtual Card Making Party time over on the S&S Blog. Lots of prizes and fun and inspiration worthy of following along! The first challenge asks for animal cards for kids. If you want to play along visit HERE. I love kid cards! Here's my first post for the day!

Moose Birthday

So I used a random stamped image in my stash probably from one of my coloring adventures with Sandy and added some glossy accents to it. The DSP is retired SU. I used chocolate chip and whisper white CS and my Square Lattice EF. The brads were white ones from my stash that I used Copics on to make them brown. Super cute and my daughter loves it so I believe I am kid approved!!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you get a chance to play along!

OWH Midweek Throwndown

2011-09-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

The OWH Midweek Throwdown theme is Autumn. To be honest, I hate making Autumn/ Fall colored cards. I just have the worst time with the colors and the papers. I pulled myself together though and created something to share with you.

Thinking Of You

Not too bad right? I totally took the easy way with this one. I chose to use a nicely pre colored image and kept it my version of CAS. I printed this image in B&W too but my skills are not quite to this level yet. I'll keep practicing! The paper has a pretty foil finish so I tied it to the image with some gold brads. I love the use of black to calm down a crazy pattern and tie everything together.

Thanks for stopping by!!

OWH Birthday Bash We R Challenge

2011-09-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hey crafters! I am playing catch up with all the fun challenges going on over at the S&S blog in honor of OWHs Birthday! So much fun and tons of creativity and prizes. Go play along if you haven't already!!
The We R Keeping an Eye on You challenge is a fun one. To make a card with eyelets (or brads) and be creative! I have no eyelets but plenty of brads. Here's my card!

Hello Hello

I used my brads to frame my colored image. I colored the bird and cut it out and popped it on another colored image. The greeting of 'Hello' came from a SU set from the summer mini. The paper is from a huge stack that I cut down to card fronts and told myself I WILL USE THESE!

Feel better Soon

This is my inspiration card. A good friend of ours was sick a little while back and I made this to show her we were thinking of her. Brads and Twine..YUmm!

Well that's one challenge down! Go play along and make sure you check out the Virtual Card Making Party this weekend!!

OWH Midweek Throwdown & PPA Sketch!

2011-08-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

I think I need an award for the most inconsistent blogger! Shame on me! I've been making purses and stethoscope covers and hair clips and bracelets oh my but not posting any of it! I've made a few cards here and there and that's what I've decided to share with you today!

This weeks OWH Midweek Throwdown is to use inchies! I also really liked the PPA Sketch 107 and thought it would work perfect with such inchies!

Welcome Baby

I'm not really sure why I decided to make a Welcome Baby card. I don't know anybody that is pregnant or even thinking of being pregnant but the cute little outfit from my SU set was calling me. I'm prepared now!

close up

I added some glossy accents to the hearts to give a simple card a little jazz! Clean and Simple. I like it! =)

In my last entry I told you all about the new addition to our family. Meet my new baby girl..Gemma!

Gemma

Thanks for stopping by! Have a FABULOUS weekend!!

Where have I been!

2011-07-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost 2mths since I've posted on here. Life has really gotten away from me. My oldest stepson graduated high school, I reorganized my craft space and we got a new puppy..good things! I've been doing a lot more sewing lately but I did manage to get a couple cards in!

4 You

The image is from byLORIdesigns and the papers are random scraps from my slowly shrinking pile! I found myself swallowed by paper in my latest reorganizing task and found a lot of paper to cut down to card front size. I've been using it a lot more now that I don't have to thumb through all the piles. I only cut up the papers that I knew for sure I wouldn't use to scrapbook and the ones I had 3 or more of.

Elmo and Cookie Monster

My daughter has been crafty too! She and her friend had so much fun putting these cards together. A 4yr old using Nestabilities! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! Teach them young! We are submitting these for the Midweek Throwdown over on OWH S&S.. cards for kids!

OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop

2011-05-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday Bloggers and Friends! Welcome to the OWH Blog Hop. If you hopped on over from Veronica's blog then you are in the right place!

Elmo Miss You

It's Elmo! The theme for the hop was to create a Missing You card that our Heroes could use to write home. If you'd like instructions on how to create the characters as I did visit my previous blog entry!

You next stop on the hop is the fabulous Holley! I know she will have something truly inspirational for you!

Visit the Guidelines Page for more!

It's ELMO!!

2011-05-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hello All! I have a little treat for you. I finally compiled a few pictures and directions on how to make the characters on my Sesame Street cards found here. Yay! I hope it helps inspire your creativity!

Sesame Characters

These characters are so much fun to make. Elmo and Big Bird are very easy to make (My 4yr old can). Cookie Monster is very close to being easy but Grouch is a far cry from it. Have patience with him!

Elmo: You will need a large red scallop, a large black circle cut in half, two white 3/4" circles and one orange 3/4" circle. I used small circles from my SU OWL Punch for the black of the eyes but you could possibly use a standard hole punch. Glue the mouth and eyes down first then finish with his nose.

Big Bird: One large yellow scallop, two white 3/4" circles, two black small circles, one 1 1/2" yellow oval and one 1 1/2" red oval cut in half (I used my Cricut for all of the oval shapes). Glue the eyes to the scallop. Fold the yellow oval in half and add the red oval to the inside. Glue beak on top of eyes.

Cookie Monster: One large blue scallop, one large black circle cut to about 2/3, two white 3/4" circles, two black small circles, two kraft 3/4" circles. Adhere eyes and mouth to scallop. Color on two cookies and cut one with scallop scissors or punch. Glue inside mouth.

Grouch: One large green scallop, one black 1 1/4" oval, one brown medium circle, two white 3/4" circles, two small black circles and one 3/4" red circle cut to about 1/3 it's size. This guy is tricky! When doing his eyes and eye brows I punched out the shapes then put them back in the punch to trim them down. To help hold the shapes in the punch I used a thin piece of scrap paper and regular tape to make a handle. Trim down two sides of the white circles to make his eyes...do circles really even have sides? =o) ... and trim off a small portion off the brown circle for his eye brows. I cut mine in half to add to his mean look. Glue down his mouth and eyes first followed by his eye brows!

Handle shot

Well there you have it! If you have any questions please let me know! Also, I would love to see the cards you create! Share your link to a photo here!

OWH MWT

2011-05-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I've got 3 cards to share with you for this weeks OWH Midweek Throwdown! The challenge this week was to make cards our Heroes could send home to their spouses to show their appreciation.

I Appreciate You

This card was made to be the inspiration for the MWT. I really like how it turned out with all of the white and a splash of color. It's hard to see from the thumbnail view but if you click and look closely I used photo paper behind the embossed piece. A great way to use up the extra scraps.
{SU Supplies Used: Square Lattice EF 119976, Whisper White CS 100730, SU Classic Inks}

You Give Me Strength

This card was my attempt to go patriotic. I stamped my own background and then used glossy accents to make the stars pop. It looks a lot better in person!
{SU Supplies Used: Seeing Stars 115352, Basic Black CS 121045, SU Classic Inks}

You Are So Special To Me

The final card. I really wanted to try to make a card with a cut up sentiment so this was my first shot at it. I'm happy with it.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

OWH Ruffled Card

2011-05-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Just wanted to share my ruffled card that I made yesterday after watching Sandy's tutorial on UStream. If you missed it you can check it out by clicking here. Have a great remainder of your weekend!

Wish Big

I love that you can use up your scraps to make this card! I recently thought I scored big by purchasing a paper pack for $3 but it turned out to be 30 sheets of the same paper! I cut half of the stack to card front size and had tons of scraps left over. This card was perfect! The image is from Sparkle Creations and the sentiment is SU Word Play (120651). Thanks for taking a look and I hope to see you play along too!

Midweek Throwdown!!

2011-04-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

This weeks OWH Midweek Throwdown is a totally easy one for me..ANY HERO! I love to make patriotic cards and I love anyway possible to thank our Heroes for all they sacrifice.

America Proud

Such an easy card. A little hemp twine, a few brads and some CuttleBug action. If you like the sentiment it's a freebie by OWH that can be found here. Thanks for stopping by!!

OWH Sketch Challenge #66

2011-04-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hey all! What a challenge this sketch was for me and I really don't even know why! I stamped so many images and cut up a lot of paper and just couldn't make it work. I took a 'night' off and came back to it and everything finally fell together so smoothly. Crazy how things work out like that. My mojo was just out of whack. But here it is..my card for the OWH Sketch Challenge #66.

Thank You

{SU Supplies Used: For All You Do stamp set 115360, Real Red Taffeta Ribbon 119251, Pinking Hearts Border Punch 117649, Brights Collection Cardstock 119706, Real Red Classic Ink 103133, Old Olive Classic Ink 102277, Tangerine Tango Classic Ink 111834, Melon Mambo Classic Ink 115656, Whisper White Cardstock 100730}

Hope that you've enjoyed my card! It's another 'gorgeous' rainy day here in WA so what better way to spend it than in the craft room! =)

OWH Sticker Skip

2011-04-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

Hey fellow crafters! Welcome to your final stop on the Operation Write Home Sticker Skip! I hope you've enjoyed all of the wonderful inspiration along the way. If you just happened to stumble upon my blog and would like to start the skip from the beginning you should head on over to Stars and Stamps. Also, make sure to comment on all of the blogs involved in the skip for your chance to win a special prize!

Sticker Skip Line Up!

OWH Stars and Stamps

Barb at Paper Therapy Ponderings

Erica at Creative But Messy

Jan at Jan's Gone Stamping

Sherry at Bits of Cheer

Julie at Handmade by Julie

Velda at OldStamper Musings

John at John VM's Cards

Steph and Robin at SR Cards

Paula at Handmade by Paula

Samantha at Expressions of a Craftaholic {ME}

Alright, on with the cards! I have 3 to share with you!

Sticker Skip 1

I love these butterfly stickers! They have dimensional tape under their body and have a clear wing layer that I just love. The sentiment is also a sticker. My camera made it look really vanilla but it's clear.

Sticker Skip 2

The robots used here were a pack of 4 that I bought at the local craft store. They also are dimensional. I attempted to stamp on vellum but smeared it so I dug out some shiny silver letter stickers and fell in love! The best part about letter stickers is the ability to write exactly what you need. 'Bot' Day looks so much better than Birthday!

Sticker Skip 3

Here is my totally fun girly sticker card! My daughter is turning 4 next week and I let her buy a bunch of stickers. She picked these ones for me to make a card with..eek! She loved the finished card and I'm pretty happy with it too!

Well I hope you had fun skipping along! Enjoy your weekend! I'm out for a fun filled girls shopping day!

{SU Supplies Used: Basic Gray CS 121044, Whisper White CS 100730, Melon Mambo CS 115320, Pacific Point CS 111350, Brights DSP 117155, Neutrals DSP 117157, Pinking Hearts Border Punch 117649. Stickers, Brads, Vellum and Twine from Stash) }

OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #64

2011-04-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I really liked the S&S Sketch Challenge #64 this week. I just thought up so many possibilities and was glad to see myself get one finished and on to a card base. My husband is leaving this week to start training to be a drill sergeant so when he's packing I'm crafting! It's going to be a lot harder with him gone since I love all the free babysitting (is it babysitting though when it's your own children?) but my kiddos are pretty crafty so we will still be making cards!

Rainy Day Ruby

I just love this image! From the moment I first got to take a sneak peak at it, I knew I had to have her! She looks like my daughter so I colored her like so. I hope you've enjoyed!

OWH and Random Cards

2011-04-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

Hey there! So tonight I got really crafty and worked on two cards to share with you! We've had a friend of ours staying with us the past two weeks so I was itching to make something! Our guest room is also my crafting space so I tend to get kicked out from time to time. Enough chit chat, here's the cards!

Cupid Emily

Another one of Sparkle's adorable stamps! I had actually made this one with thoughts of participating in a challenge that was being sponsored by Sparkle but didn't pay much attention to the deadline..oops! But it's still here to share with you! DSP, Card Stock, and Sentiment are SU. The Dew Drops were clear but I guess I finally found use for my Copic 100 marker =)

HB2U Frantoonie

The Digi on this card is a Frantoonie made for use ONLY on OWH cards! I made this one for the OWH Sketch Challenge #62 and the Midweek Throwdown K-9 Challenge. I'm really happy with this card. I challenged myself to use up scraps and broke out some stickers! The paw prints and the sentiment (Happy Birthday To You) are from the crazy drawer of stickers that only seems to keep growing. I was so amazed when digging through it that I found stickers that had actually gone bad!

Thanks So Much

I really wanted to add this card since I made it for a previous Sketch Challenge and never posted it.

Well I hope that you enjoyed looking at my cards and I wish you all a fabulous weekend!

SCRS Challenge #34

2011-03-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

Hey All! I'm still having fun playing with Sparkle's stamps and decided to play a little earlier on this weeks SCRS Inspiration Challenge #34. My mom needed a special card made for a close friend of hers and only asked that it be a little 'congratulations let's celebrate' themed. Too easy!

Celebrating Chloe

The inspiration portion of the challenge was a photo from Pottery Barn and that is also where my color combination came from. I went through stacks of paper trying to find the right green and yellow combo before settling on yellow accents. The dew drops were from a large bag of clears ones I bought a long while back. I took a Copic marker to the bottom of them to turn them yellow for this card.

Thanks for looking!!

SCRS Challenge

2011-03-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hey All! Quick post tonight as I am feeling really sick. There's been a bug going around my house and I finally caught it. Tonight's card was made for the Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps Challenge #33. I finally purchased a few stamps from Sparkle and I love them. I can't wait to buy more =)

Charlotte with a Rose

The colors seem a little brighter on the computer. They are actually a lot more pastel. I played a little with the layout to make it work for my OWH cards. I hope you enjoyed! I'm off to get some much needed sleep!

Thank You

2011-03-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight's post is a bit of a Thank You with two inspired cards. I received a very sweet comment saying I was an inspiration for Angela's children (you can find her blog HERE) to make birthday cards! How great is that. I was even more excited when I peeked at her blog and saw very cute pictures of her son and the cards. I couldn't contain myself and rushed to show my husband. So as my way to say Thank You, I created cards for our troops in their honor!

THANKS

I tired to keep the cards simple and made one pink for a girl and blue for a boy. The cards are also for the OWH Midweek Throwdown Going Dotty. It's hard to see from a small view but the stars are made from dots and the ribbon has polka dots. I hand stamped the stars to make my own playful background. {SU Supplies: Seeing Stars 115352, SAB So Happy For You 123220, Real Red Ink 103133, Rich Razzleberry Ink 115658, Pacific Point Ink 111837, Melon Mambo Ink 115656, Pumpkin Pie Ink 105216, Crushed Curry Ink (Retired), Melon Mambo Card Stock 115320, Tempting Turquoise Card Stock 102067, Whisper White Card Stock 100730, Sponge Daubers 102892, Stampin' Dimensionals 104430}

Thanks so much for taking a look and please go leave some sweet comments for Angela's children!

Sketch Fun!

2011-03-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

Hey all! To all my normal OWH followers I hope you are recovering well after the big bunny hop! Lot's of great cards made just for our troops..it doesn't get any better than that! Today I'm blogging 3 different Sketch Challenges..yes, I finally got a good dose of mojo back! We are downsizing in prep for another PCS (military move) this summer so with a lack of clutter I am creative again!

OWH Sketch 59

This one was made for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge 59. I made it extra challenging by only allowing myself to use paper from my scraps. Yes, the really pretty flower paper was scraps! I am so terrible at just making one card and putting the rest in the scrap pile. The image is from The Greeting Farm. She was originally holding a pistol but I liked the letter and a '4 You' sentiment better. I used Soft Suede ink for a little distressing...okay maybe a lot! {SU Supplies: Soft Suede Classic Ink 115657, Tiny Tags 118592, Jewelry Tag 117190, Cherry Cobbler Card stock 119685, Stampin' Dimensionals 104430}

Sweet Sunday Sketch 107

I love this weeks Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 107. This was such a fun card to make and I will be using the sketch again for sure! {SU Supplies: Real Red Card stock 102482, Tempting Turquoise Card stock 102067, Word Play 120651, Neutrals Designer Buttons 119743, Stampin' Demensionals 104430}

FTL 130

Clean & Simple always has nice Sketch Challenges to play with. This Fall to Layout 130 was created like my first card and made mostly from my scrap pile. I used the black bow to try and distract from the crazy pattern paper and draw the viewers eye towards the sentiment...did it work? {SU Supplies: Cherry Cobbler Card stock 119685, Whisper White Card stock 100730, Whisper White Satin Ribbon 114616, Decorative Label Punch 120907}

Well I hope you've enjoyed all the cards and I hope you are inspired to play along with one or all of the challenges! Have a great week!

OWH Bunny Hop

2011-03-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hey there bunny hoppers! I hope you are enjoying all the wonderful cards along the OWH Bunny Hop. There are 135 stops on this hop so if you get lost along the way or if you've found yourself here by another link please stop back at the start at OWH Stars and Stamps. You're on the right track if you came from Kyra's blog.

OWH Bunny Hop

The theme for this hop was to create a spring card. Since I don't have any bunnies or chicks my best bet was spring flowers and soft colors. I attempted sewing paper for the first time with this card. I am so addicted! It adds such pretty touch and I love any reason to break out my old sewing machine! I struggled with adding a sentiment so I left it off. I think it looks more complete without one. {Supplies: SU For All You Do 115360, Basic Pearls 119247, Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon 119767, Brights DSP 117155, Sending Love DSP (Clearance Rack 117153), Old Olive CS 100702, Whisper White CS 100730, Stampin' Dimensionals 104430}

The Easter card deadline for OWH is March 18th and Mother's Day cards need to be to the shippers by March 31st. A great link to keep bookmarked on the OWH site is the one for the Holiday Deadlines. When your friends are thinking about Halloween you are already shipping Christmas cards to OWH. Staying ahead of the deadlines is a great help to our shippers.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my card and that you still have enough in you for the remaining 35 blogs! Next on the hop is Mariam. Happy Hopping!

Challenge Catch Up

2011-02-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hey blog buddies! I've got a little inspiration for you today. I'm going to keep it simple since I have a sick child and who knows how long of a break he will give me. This first card is for the OWH S&S MWT Any Occasion Challenge.

Just For You

What a cutie! My friend Sparkle let me color a few images from By Lori Designs and I'm loving them! I also got to use my brand new Copic markers! FUN! The paper is from a stack I've been hoarding for probably the last 3 years. The sentiment is a SU Level 1 Hostess set called Afterthoughts.

You Mean The World To Me

This masculine card is for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #57. I used some more paper from my stash (Can't buy more until I use up some of what I have) and a lot of Tim Holts... the paper was white. I couldn't find the right color so I made it! =) The sentiment is from SU set Word Play.

Well I hope you have all enjoyed! Have a great day!

Red, White, Blue & Kraft

2011-02-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

Here I am again with another card to share with you. Today's card was made for the OWH Midweek Throwdown Red, White, Blue & Kraft. Enjoy!

RWB&K

I made this card with the intentions of it being a card a Hero could send home to their spouse but just couldn't get it to work. So I made a few changes, dropped a sentiment and this is what it came to. It could be an awesome AnyHero card but it could also work as a thank you or for any patriotic holiday. The quilt design came from Splitcoaststampers and the flower was something I came across a long time ago. The ribbon is my favorite part and it's all thanks to my pal Holley!! I don't know how long I had been trying to get this right until she showed me a better way (the right way!) THANK YOU HOLLEY!!

Enjoy your weekend!!

"On the farm" MWT

2011-02-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

Hey there! I've been stumped over this weeks S&S MWT "On the Farm" and a little amazed that I had no farm animal stamps!! I dug through every stamp and even took a peak at my dusty Cricut Cartridges. Nothing! I probably spent the entire day Wednesday just looking for ideas online when I came across punched art animals. I didn't have all the punches used for most of the animals so I improvised with the sheep. =) Lots of fun but lots of work when you make 6 of these cards!!

Punched Sheep

Aren't they cute? I always aim to make simple cards and although it may look so, this one was not!! I hand cut the grass and had a lot of playing around with my punches to get things right. Here's my helpful tip: When doing parts like the front hair on the sheep, punch out a full scallop and attach one of those tiny strips of scraps from trimming paper to the back of it and use it like a handle to position back in your punch. You'll get a perfect punch and not have to stress over wiggling it around. Hope that made sense?! I used a small scallop punch and small circle. The 'ears' are a circle out of my daughters punches cut in half...not quite sure of its size but the brand was EK Success. I used the SU Top Note Die and some gorgeous Twine from the Twinery!! I love it's look and thought it went with the feeling of the card.

Well thanks for stopping by!

Back In The Game!!

2011-01-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! I know it's been a little while since I've posted so I've got three cards to share with you tonight!!

I made this one for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #53. After over a week of not being able to craft it felt great to get all inky again! I used Love Letter and Jolly Holiday DSP. The tree is from the Valentine Defined stamp set now available in the new Occasions Mini Catalog. The sentiment is from the Tiny Tags stamp set. The ribbon I used was the Victoria Crochet Trim.

How cute is this guy! I went to a stamping club with a friend of mine and spent most of the day playing with her Copics...OH how I love them!

Here's another image I got to play around with. After a little research I can now tell you he is from Whipper Snapper. I think this will be a great AnyHero card!

Well thanks for stopping by!!

Enabler Alert!! Don't forget that Stampin' Up! is having it's Sale-A-Bration sale!! What does this mean to you? For every $50 you spend before taxes you will earn a FREE stamp set! Who doesn't love free? Shop Now! (Click the Shop Now button in the Upper Right Corner of the linked page)

Playing Catch Up

2011-01-07T23:02:00.000-08:00

Hey All! I have 3 cards to share with you tonight. I've been so busy trying to sort out my crafting space and haven't spent as much time creating. Ribbon and paper are turning into my enemies!! I spent an entire afternoon with my daughter sorting through scraps and creating card bases. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the cards I managed to squeeze in.

Jace's Birthday Card

This card was made for my sons second birthday. He turns 2 on the 14th. I can't believe how fast time is passing us by! This card was inspired by the Mojo Monday Sketch.

Anniversary

I made this card for my husband for our Anniversary. It's so hard to squeeze in a card for him when he likes to check in on my work. I managed though! I used the SU Filled With Love set and some Real Red and Whisper White cardstocks. The EF is Seeing Spots.

OWH Challenge

Lastly, I made this card for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #50. I used the SU Filled With Love set again and paper from my scrap pile. I strayed slightly in order to cover up the Valentine's Day sentiment on the paper to allow it to be used by our Heroes if the holiday passes.

Thanks for looking and enjoy your weekend!!

A little Glitz and Glam

2010-12-30T23:23:00.000-08:00

Here I am checking in with a card for the Holiday Vacation Challenge #10. OWH is finally able to add a R after their name and so the challenge is to go round in it's honor!! I didn't have any round sentiments or ones that started with a R but I did have one about smiles...and who wouldn't love a smile in the mail!

You Make Me Smile

I love when a card starts out one way and ends totally opposite of what you started. I'm breaking out stamp sets I haven't used in a while and trying to make use out of them again. This stamp set is from Verve. My daughter had fun helping me punch out all those little circles and I used a circle cutter for the big ones. The butterflies were stamped and cut out and then covered in Stickles. I then stamped them again on the circles before adding the cut outs with some glue in the centers and SU Dimensionals on the wings. I wish I would have started using them sooner since I found out they are thinner then the ones I've bought from Michaels and Joann Stores. I love 'em! =) The paper is out of a shimmer stack that I've been hoarding. I made the most of my paper by cutting the center from the back layer to make my circles and adhering it all to a card base.

Well I'm winded but I hope you've enjoyed! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Anything But Pink?

2010-12-30T00:14:00.000-08:00

Today's Holiday Vacation Challenge #9 was to make a card that was Anything But Pink. With Valentine's Day coming around, the shippers have been seeing maybe a little too much. While my card is not Valentine's themed, it's also not pink!

NOT PINK!!

Fun right? This card was a headache!! I think I cut up 3 patterned paper before deciding not to use any at all! For those of you with amazing eye site you may have noticed my wet glossy accents on the brads. They were glitter brads and I wanted to make them safe to ship to our Heroes. I used the glossy accents and then let them dry...but not long enough! So I had to add more glossy accents to fix my smudges. I used a metallic silver pen to color the stars on the Verve sentiment and then added some stickles! The ribbon is from SU as well as the die. It's actually the Top Note Die but with a little playing around!

I hope you've enjoyed! Have a great New Years!!

Missing You

2010-12-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

Hey All!! My Lainey bug and I spent the afternoon crafting away while my husband and son took a nap. I love being able to spend time with her and I love how she is my biggest fan. It doesn't matter what I make, she loves it all. Her and I are working on some Valentines but they are still in the coloring stages. I do have a card to share with you though. I actually started it last night but no matter how much paper I cut it just didn't want to come together. So I said sleep on it. Today, I changed my stamps and ribbon and colors and it all clicked.

Missing You

The only piece I stuck with was the music note paper which was an awesome clearance find at JoAnn...like I really needed more paper =) The stamp set is from Verve. I stamped the stars and then stamped another set to cut color and sparkle! I'm very proud of my ribbon as well...Sandy showed me how to do it at an OWH party. Thanks Sandy!

This card was made for the OWH Holiday Vacation Challenge #8 - Missing You!!

End of Year Sketch Challenge #49

2010-12-26T23:26:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I hope you all have enjoyed your Christmas and are ready to put your crafting presents to good use! I have two cards for you tonight..a little bit of a his and hers card making. Both cards were made for the OWH Sketch Challenge #49. Enjoy!

You Rock Star

I tried so hard to steer away from my normal color combos. I hand stamped each layer myself to create my own paper. I think I would really like to try it back in my safety zone of reds and black but overall it's good.

He Rocks

Yay for the hubby! He made this card completely without stamping and even layered the guitar! (Hard to see but it's a guitar cut out and propped on pop dots and placed over another guitar). The Diamond Plate EF is his new favorite.

Well I hope you've enjoyed!! Leave a comment so I can come check you out!!

Midweek Throwdown

2010-12-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness..maybe it's the Holiday Vacation Challenges or maybe it's that all my shopping is done but my mojo is back and on fire! I made 3 cards tonight of the same design but different colors. They are for the OWH Midweek Throwdown and Holiday Vacation Challenge #5! Enjoy!

R&W LOVE

This is the first of the set and my favorite. I liked it so much I made a couple in this color. The hearts and the word LOVE are from the SU Filled with Love set and the ribbon is out of my stash. Love my new Seeing Spots EF =) The hearts are popped up on some 3d foam.

B&W LOVE

The ribbon on this one is actually 2 different ones. I have so much ribbon but never the 'right one' for the job. So I made my own =). The flower brad is SU. I wanted to change it up just a little but I think if I mass produce this one I would leave it out.

S&W Love

The last one! This one was my attempt for the monochromatic Holiday Challenge. My husband told me the others weren't monochromatic so hopefully this fits the description. The ribbon again is 2 different ribbons pieced together to get something close to what I was looking for. I tried to use silver embossing powder with glitter in it but it turned out terrible and kept flaking off....SAFETY HAZARD! So instead I used some silver ink I picked up years ago at Target. I really like how it turned out.

Well I hope that you've all enjoyed! I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve! I am so excited for Christmas this year since my husband is home with us and it will be his first with my son. He missed out on so much last year and we are making up for it this year. I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and are able to spend it with those that you love!

Elmo

2010-12-22T23:31:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I'm here tonight with an Elmo card for the Holiday Vacation Challenge #4. Making cards for our little heroes should be so much easier for me but it's not! The first card I'm going to show you is one I've been working out for awhile and the second is one I came up with today to make life a little less challenging.

Elmo and Friends

This card was a tough one. Figuring out the right size and then manipulating my punches..ehh headache. I promise to follow up with some instructions to prevent the headache for the rest of you!

Elmo

This is the one I made tonight. Elmo is the easiest guy to recreate. I make a lot of Elmo faces but they always seem to disappear and wind up in my son's room. I was happy to use my new Seeing Spots EF but I'm still not in love with the card so please leave your suggestions! My son loves it but I'm a little indifferent.

RockStar

One last card for you. My crafty friend who randomly is featured on my blog created this one for the OWH Sketch Challenge #48. He used the Diamond Plate EF and the stamp set was from Inkadinkado.

Well I hope you've all enjoyed! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

OWH Sketch Challenge 48

2010-12-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

Quick post for you tonight. I made the following card for the OWH Sketch Challenge #48 and for the Holiday Vacation Challenge #3. Enjoy!

Love

I used the SU Filled With Love set and the SU Tiny Tags Set. I'm very proud of myself for making this card completely out of my scrap paper pile!! WAHOO! The bling part of this cards is Stickles and the metallic on the ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Feeling like a Mad Crafter =)

2010-12-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

I have 3 special cards to share with you today all in honor of OWH. It's been hectic around here with a lot of handmade presents to be done. I feel totally relieved to have finally finished a baby scrapbook for my brother. I feel so challenged going from cards to scrapbooks. It just feels like there's too much space and then not enough. Well now that the gifts have come to an end I can get back to the card making. Phew!!

AnyHero

Isn't this guy just awesome! He's a freebie for the OWH Midweek Throwdown Challenge. Dude Times Doodles generously donated him so go snag one up! Nothing to special going on with this card. I colored him with colored pencils since my Copic supply is embarrassing small. The sentiment is SU Service and Sacrifice. The ribbon and star brads are out of my stash and the camouflage paper is a special gift from my mom. =)

Valentine Defined

So I actually made this card for yesterdays OWH Holiday Challenge #1 but forgot to post it...ooops! Well here it is anyway. The technique used was scoring..you can see it on the white piece. I used the upcoming SU Valentine Defined set to stamp the flamingos. The love tag is from the SU Tiny Tags set. I finally ordered some liquid pearls but I wasn't very happy with how they turned out. Still need some practice I guess!

I love you snow much!

This card was made for todays OWH Holiday Challenge #2. I didn't think very much about the time it would take to mass produce but after a few hours I managed to make 9! I've been really wanting to clear these snowman digis from my space and the challenge was the perfect chance. I believe they are Bugaboo. Please correct me if I'm wrong. SU products used were the Petals-A-Plenty EF and the Top Note die.

Well I hope you've enjoyed stopping by and please feel free to leave comments...I always take a peak back!
Merry Christmas..Happy Holidays!

Sketch Challenge #47

2010-12-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

Hey All! I finally managed to squeeze in some time to play along with the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #47. My crafting buddy was even inspired to play along. Enjoy!

Celebrate

I've been noticing these wreaths a lot lately over on Splitcoaststampers.com and I just had to figure a way to make one myself. They are so much easier to make than they look! I changed the sketch a little bit by moving the large square layer over a little but I pretty much stayed with it. I used all products from my stash except for the SU Melon Mambo cardstock and SU Basic Black Ink.

Everything to Me

Masculine? I think it could totally work! This one was created for the same sketch challenge as well. He actually finished it on Sunday...WHAT! Before me?!?! The stamp set used was SU Always and there's even a little SU Waffle Paper on there!

Thanks for stopping by!

Yay Me!

2010-12-10T16:08:00.000-08:00

I know it sounds funny to have a post labeled Yay Me! but I've been missing my mojo for 2 weeks now..so YAY ME!

You're in my thoughts

A white card! Ahh who would have thought! The white theme is for the Pals Paper Arts PPA72 Challenge. The sketch is for the OWH Sketch Challenge #46 and the ribbon is for the OWH Midweek Throwdown. It's really hard to see but I used sparkle embossing powder on one of the layers. Hopefully this close up will show that off better and the ribbon. =)

Close Up

The sentiment is popped up with some 3d foam and stamped with silver ink. It's from the SU! set Word Play. The Flowers are from the Verve set Great Friend. I won them a while back and still love them! The background is dry embossed with the SU! Square Lattice EF.

I thought I'd share how to do the ribbon. I have no video skills so I'm showing it off with photos.

First you will punch two small holes into your paper where you would want the center of the ribbon to be. If you don't use a small punch you will see your holes. Next, you will thread both ends of your ribbon through the holes to the back side. Cross over the ribbons on the back and thread them back through. Pull both ends and play with it to achieve the look you want.

Punch Holes

Thread Ribbon

Cross and Thread (shown with one threaded)

End Result

Well I hope the I've inspired you or that you atleast enjoyed taking a look. Thanks for stopping by =)

Stylish Blogger Award

2010-12-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

So I received a blog award from 2 very awesome blog buddies out there and wanted to share that!

Here are the rules when you receive this award:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this blog award.
2. Share 8 things about yourself.
3. Pay it forward to other bloggers!

1. Thank you Lisa and Holley for making me feel special! These ladies are talented so go check them out!
Lisa http://landofencraftment.blogspot.com/
Holley http://helloholley.blogspot.com/

2. So now I have to tell you 8 things about myself..YIKES!
Well I'm a (1) military wife to my Army Soldier and (2) we have two very crazy kiddos ages 1 and 3..soon to be 2 and 4. Many people don't know that (3) I'm an Army Veteran myself so I guess I can throw that in there. (4) I'm a very quiet person until you get me started and then I'm not very good at shuttin up! (5) I love to papercraft but I can throw down some sewing skills as well. (6) I was born in Ohio and have been to almost every state due to a mom that loved to travel and a military lifestyle. (7) My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because I love to eat! (8) I can honestly say I listen to all music types..who else do you know with a play list that goes from Alternative to Rap to Country to Techno to Pop to 50s in 6 songs =)

I'm not very good at talking about myself so I hope that satisfies you all =).

3. There's so much unbelievable talent out there so this is a tough one too. I want to share with you the blogs I check daily so maybe they can inspire you as well! Holley and Lisa are on my list as well!

Mary Fish http://www.stampinpretty.com/
Catherine http://paperaddictcatherine.blogspot.com/
Sandy Allnock http://acolourfulworld.blogspot.com/
Jane Hunnicutt http://jans-gonestampin.blogspot.com/
Teresa Kline http://enjoythevasunshine.blogspot.com/

Please check them out =)

Love is in the Air

2010-11-23T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hey there! OWH cardmakers are working hard on getting their Valentine's in for the Archway Cookie Challenge. Who wouldn't want to craft for cookies! My two cards for you today are love themed but could work for Valentine's Day if a troop found themselves in need. Get your Valentine's Day cards to the shippers by Dec. 1st to help with this special mission!!

together

This cute little card was made for the S&S Sketch Challenge #44. I was in the mood for some cuteness and the googlie eyes did it! The stamp set is Sweet Scoops (Retired). I paper pierced the heart and used Distressed Inks to really make it pop! I used glossy accents on the scoops and Real Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon. I used the Lattice EF on the Chocolate Chip background.

Love is in the Air

Almost missed getting this card in! This one was made for the S&S Midweek Throwdown. The penguins are the Stampin' Up! Owl punch with their ears trimmed off!! How cool is that! I love the variety of this punch! I hand cut the little iceberg and chalked around it with some blue ink. It's simple but I love the penguins.

Snow!!

Finally! WE HAVE SNOW!! This is a picture of my two little kiddos enjoying the fresh snow. Last year we didn't get any snow so my son was very confused. He stood there for a few moments and then finally came around.

Thanks for stopping by!! =)

S&S Sketch Challenge 43

2010-11-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

Have you all recovered yet from blog hopping? I know I'm still jumping back in there and looking at some of the great cards a second time over. My card I'm about to share with you is for the S&S Sketch Challenge 43. I actually made 2 because I didn't like the first and wanted to try another stamp..just more love for our troops to send home!

Here's the one I like.

BeMineOrElse

I organized my box of stamps only to find that I do own one Valentine stamp. The birds were a $1 stamp by Inkadinkadoo and the heart paper was a find at Target last year. The ribbon and rhinestones are from Michaels and the cardstocks are from Stampin' Up! (Real Red, Melon Mambo and Whisper White) The image was also my attempt to water color..I actually messed up and it turned out pretty good if I do say so. I used Glossy Accents on the hearts.

Here's the one that I just didn't Love as much.

LOVE

It's not terrible but I thought I could do better. I guess we are all our own biggest critic.

Enjoy your week!

Blog Candy Winner!

2010-11-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

I'd like to first start off by saying THANK YOU for all the wonderful comments left during the OWH BlogHop! You ladies are the best! There were so many inspirational cards and I truly loved all of the creativity shared.
Well, I know you didn't check in to see my thank you speech so let's get to the point. The winner after sorting through qualifying comments is ...
LISA
Land of EnCRAFTment
Contact me at s dot estores at yahoo dot com to claim your prize!

Make sure you all continue to vote for OWH at Joanns Craft for a Cause Contest!!

OWH Be My Valentine BLOGHOP

2010-11-13T07:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome and I hope you've enjoyed hopping along and checking out all the great cards crafters from all around have made in honor of our troops. Operation Write Home is an amazing organization that touches the lives of our Heroes and their families through handmade greeting cards. If you haven't already checked them out do so HERE.

The challenge for the hop over on the Stars & Stamps blog was to make a Valentine's Day card. The deadline to send your own handmade Valentine's Day cards to the shippers is January 7th. Please do not send anymore Christmas cards since the deadline has passed! They can always use your general themes and AnyHero mail! No Glitter!!

Some of you may know and for those of you who don't, OWH made it into the final 3 for the Joann's Craft for a Cause Contest! The winning organization will receive $50,000. That's payment for a lot of boxes to be shipped to our Heroes! Vote for them daily by clicking HERE.

OWH has also brought us a SPECIAL MISSION! They teamed up with Archway and for every Valentine sent to your shipper by December 1st, they will match it with some sweet treats! Read more about it on the Homefront Blog HERE!

Okay, so enough with the chit chat. Here's my card!

My Sweet Valentine

I used the Stampin' Up! Always set to create the hearts. I used Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black cardstocks and Inks. The embossing folder is the Sizzix Lattice from Stampin' Up! and the pearls and ribbon are from my stash. I printed the sentiment off of my laptop. Somehow, I have no Valentine's Day sentiments!

So you've read through my ramblings and checked out my card but now here's the fun part...BLOG CANDY!

BLOG CANDY!

50 Sheets of Cardstock!
40 Loopy Brads!
1 Sheet of Rhinestones!
2 Clear Stamp Sets!
6yds of Ribbon (2ea color)!

This is my first time offering blog candy and all you need to do for your chance to win is to leave a comment here telling us all what OWH means to you! OWH means the world to me. Not only does it give me a reason to make beautiful cards, it also helped my Hero keep in touch with home. My husband sent home beautiful cards to myself and my children. It brightened their days and it's a keepsake we will always cherish! You have until Sunday at 11:59 PST to comment! Winner will be chosen by random and posted on Monday!

Next stop, Karen at Slightly Scrappy!

Time for another Throwdown!

2010-11-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I made this card for the OWH Sketch Challenge 42. They are having a BlogHop on the 13th so be sure to check back and see all of the amazing cards created for our Heroes!

Always On My Mind

I used the SU Always stamp set for this card. I think it must be my favorite since I've made so many cards from it. The cardstocks are Melon Mambo, Old Olive and Very Vanilla. The Ribbon is Old Olive and the inks are Melon Mambo and Old Olive. I used the SU Lattice EF on the background image.

Hope you've enjoyed!

Anything Goes!

2010-10-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

Time for another challenge! Today's cards are for the OWH Midweek Throwdown Almost Anything Goes. The cards shown were also made for the Joann Craft for a Cause Contest. Enjoy!

Christmas Ornaments

This card looks a lot simpler than it is. The red cardstock under the vellum is actually embossed with a Christmas Sizzix set I purchased at Joanns. The black 'brads' were dots I doodled with my marker since Joanns seemed to be out of stock that day.

Cowboy

Another entry for Joanns. My hub got crafty and made some barbed wire from some copper wire in the beading section and then crafted the word cowboy as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Masculine Cards

2010-10-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is a difficult challenge for me but I think I got it right on this time. I do my best with red and black when I think masculine but find it hard to keep it so simple. No flowers or bows, no Stickles! The following two cards were created for the OWH S&S Masculine Challenge.

Masculine Challenge

The blue jean card was made by my husba..oh I mean a crafty friend of mine. The Copenhagen can that's peaking out is a real lid to one of my husbands containers. Yay, way to recycle! Here's a close up.

Close Up

And yes, those are real strings from my jeans, randomly ripped off me while the card was in the making! Glad they weren't my favorite pair! Please leave this crafty friend of mine some comments and encourage them to create more!

Hope you enjoyed! Have a great day!

OWH Sketch Challenge #39

2010-10-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

Long Time No Blog!

Hello fellow crafters! It's been awhile since I've been on here and I would like to thank that to our Hero being home! We are finally getting back into our routines and I have found some time to start blogging again. The card I've created to share with you today is for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #39. Please Enjoy!!

My Everything

Here I go again with my SU Owl Punch...does anybody else find themselves in a routine of using a specific product? I used Melon Mambo ink and DSP. The embossing folders used were Swiss Dots and SU Square Lattice. The flowers are stamps from the SU Always set that I cut out and embellished with 2 black brads.

Thanks for stopping by!

SRM Stickers Sketch Challenge

2010-09-28T23:44:00.000-07:00

Another post for you late tonight. SRM Stickers is hosting a Sketch Challenge on behalf of OWH and I just had to play along. They are offering some great candy for playing along so jump in quick before the challenge is over!

For You

I was very inspired by the sketch and now every time I see a circle I think of this flower. Hope you enjoy!!
I made this card with the Great Friends Verve Stamp Set. I used Chocolate Chip and Cherry Cobbler Ink as well as Cherry Cobbler cardstock. The ribbon is the 5/8" Victoria Crochet Trim and I used the Lattice Embossing Folder on the Cherry Cobbler cardstock. For the flowers I used Stickles and Glossy accents and a few pearls from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by!

Get Well Soon!

2010-09-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hey all! It's been a pretty crazy around here since my husband returned home. It's so great to finally have our Hero back and the kids and I are stealing away all the time we can with him. I did manage, however, to make a card for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #36. I won an amazing set of Verve stamps and was itching to put them to use!! Thanks again Teresa! (Enjoy the VA Sunshine)

Here's the card I created!

Get Well Soon

The flower was made from the Great Friend Verve set that I won on the challenge. I used Glossy Accents to make it shine and a white button and ribbon from my stash. It's hard to see but the black cardstock was dry embossed with the A2 Swiss Dots Embossing Folder. This card was made for a little girl in our neighborhood and I hope she enjoys it! Thanks for stopping by!

Hero Card and Birthday Card

2010-09-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Today I'm going to share two cards with you. One was made for my Hero who is coming home and the other is just a birthday card for an OWH Challenge. Hope you enjoy!

A Real Hero!

My goodness! This card was sooo much fun! I've been so busy having my kiddos put together signs and t-shirts for when their Hero comes home that I forgot for a brief moment to make a thank you from me. I hope he loves it. It was inspired by the Sketch Challenge over at OWH S&S.

Next up is a birthday card that I made for the OWH S&S Midweek Throwdown! The challenge was to make a birthday card and that I did! Enjoy!

Wish Big!

This card involved a lot of chalking/distressing. But I had fun and had a few learning mistakes along the way. For this card I used the Sweet Scoops and the Word Play stamp sets. I used Very Vanilla and Real Red cardstocks along with some Chocolate Chip for the distressing. I used Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon and the Curly Label punch! Some Glossy accents and a few brads finished it off.

Thanks for stopping by!

Falling for PINK!

2010-09-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! I'm not sure what it is lately but I seem to be heading for my Melon Mambo every time I want to make a card...this coming from a girl who used to hate PINK! Today's card is for 2 OWH Challenges, S&S Sketch #33 and Monday Wondering Challenge.

Always 4 You

I used Melon Mambo and Very Vanilla Cardstocks for this one. The bird is from the Always stamp set and the tag is from Tiny Tags. The two punches used were the Jewelry Tag and Scallop Ribbon. I used the Square Lattice EF.

I also wanted to share a picture of my second batch of cards dropped off for OWH. I hope the troops love them as much as I enjoyed making them!

2nd Batch!

Well thanks for stopping by and I hope you've enjoyed!!

Week of OWH Challenges

2010-09-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of challenges and cards to share today. I've been so busy making cards that I neglected my blog and sharing them with all of you. OWH is celebrating their birthday this month and posting new challenges everyday!! Join in on the fun and maybe win a prize or two!

Here's my first card.

Boo!

I made this card for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge #32 and OWH Midweek Throwdown. I mainly used scraps from my supplies and my CuttleBug for the cardstock. The monster was actually made by just turning my Owl from the Stampin' Up! Owl Punch upside down and adding some googlie eyes! I also used my Jewelry Tag Punch for the BOO!

Freedom Ciara

Next up is Ciara! The challenge for this card was to use the OWH Ciara digis and make a card! You can view the challenge here and snag yourself a full set of free digis!! Supplies used were cardstock, colored pencils and my CuttleBug!

Dahlia Flower

Another OWH Challenge: CASE card maker Kate Bossier. I was really impressed by the Dahlia flower and knew right away I wanted to create one myself! You can find instructions on how to make the flower on the OWH Challenge.

Last but not least...

OUR Journey

The last OWH Challenge was googlie eyes. I've done a few already so this was an easy task for me! I think I've used up my googlie stash in just the past few days.

I hope you've enjoyed all the cards I've shared and maybe picked up some inspiration along the way!

SU! Owl Punch

2010-08-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I have been having so much fun lately making card after card. It seems my crafty mojo is back full throttle! I have 2 cards to share with you today. The first card is for the OWH Sketch Challenge and the OWH Midweek throwdown.

Whoo Loves You Babe?

The Stampin' Up! Owl Punch is my go to punch these days. I've made a few cards already using it and I love it! I've been itching to use some googly eyes and they fit just perfect.
Recipe:
Melon Mambo and Very Vanilla cardstock. Black and Brown cardstocks from stash.
Print paper is from the Brights Patterns DSP pack.
Ribbon is from stash.
Punches used were Curly Label Extra-Large and Two-Step Owl Extra-Large.
Also used was the Square Lattice embossing folder.

My next card is for the Clean & Simple Sketch Challenge.

together

I love the Clean and Simple Challenge this week. There are always so many possibilities with their sketches. Instead of the scalloped border I used a ribbon.
Recipe:
Cardstock - Melon Mambo and Very Vanilla
Ink - Melon Mambo, Old Olive and Marina Mist
Ribbon - Old Olive
Stamps - In A Word, Punched Posies (Lvl2 hostess set Summer 2010 Catalog)
Brad is from stash.

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenge Fun!

2010-08-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I have 3 cards for you today..two by me and one by my adorable 3yr old. Creativity finally came to me after spending hours cleaning my scrap area. I had several projects started and just couldn't get myself going. Well it's all now organized and I'm able to get my creative mojo flowing! I'm knocking things out left and right and cleared up enough room to move my laptop back in! YAY!

Here are the first two cards created for the OWH Midweek Throwdown and for Michelle Perkett Studios Tuesday challenge 41 Anything Goes!!

Michelle Perkett Studio Design Challenge

Pretty simple card and I also left off the sentiment. I thought the picture was cute enough on it's own to complete a card front. I used Glossy Accents to make the apple pop a little bit more and 4 white brads for a little more dimension. I broke out my daughters colored pencils since this is the first digi stamp that I've done.

Here is my cuties submission! =)

Lainey for OWH

I let her have at my scrap paper and she is a pink FREAK!! The yellow was a nice surprise. She broke out the crayons on her card. =) I know she's adorable and no you can't have her!!

My third card to show is for the Clean & Simple sketch challenge 104.

Love Always

The distressing on this card was a complete accident but it worked perfectly. I was trying just chalk the edges but a bumped elbow turned into a smear. I'm not sure what paper this is. I'm trying very hard to clear out all my old paper so I have a reason to buy new!

I hope you've enjoyed the cards!

OWH Sketch Challenge

2010-08-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

I've been really wanting to participate in more challenges but have been so drained at the end of the day to create anything. Well I'm kicking myself into gear and making it a goal to do one challenge a week. The card I created tonight for the OWH S&S Sketch Challenge was inspired by a box of Stampin' Up! goodies I received in the mail yesterday.

Dasher

Meet Dasher! I was inspired to make Christmas cards and this sketch was perfect! I didn't capture a picture of the inside but I created an empty white square with a red matt for the Hero to write their own sentiment..Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Warm Wishes, whatever!! The cardstocks used were Whisper White and Real Red. The ink is Real Red and the stamp is Dasher. The ribbon is 5/8" Whisper White and the brads were from my stash.

I also found the time to break out some ribbon and make two birthday cards.

Happy Birthday!

I love to use ribbon and especially to ruffle it! I believe the cupcake and the hat were lucky finds at Walmart and the ribbons came from Michael's. The blue brads were bought at a craft store somewhere between Southern California and Olympia, Washington. I used my Cuttle Bug and the Swiss Dots A2 folder to emboss the backgrounds.

Hope you've enjoyed!!

Spiders, Oh My!

2010-08-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

I finally bought a set of Halloween stamps and quickly put them to use. I've always just invested in stickers and brads but I am so stingy even with my own product. It takes a lot for me to finally use something I fell in love with. I have paper I hold on to because once I use it, it's gone. But stamps are different, they're always there no matter how much you use them! I made the following cards for the OWH Midweek Throwdown. The objective was to make a Fall themed card with no sentiment. Well when I think Fall, I think Halloween. So here's my cards!

Spiders!

I'm a very Clean and Simple papercrafter if you haven't yet noticed. I made this card with a cute spider out of a Friskars stamp set. The rest was just orange and white cardstock and 4 black brads from my stash. The ribbon I believe came from Michael's. I'm not the best at tying bows and after 6 of these cards, I could quit for a good while!

Spiders and Witches Hats

Very easy card to make multiples of! If I hadn't run out of black brads, I might have done bats! The hats were from the same stamp set.

I'd also like to share a very special card I made for my mother. My mother is a 6yr breast cancer survivor who recently underwent surgery to fix some problems from a previous reconstructive surgery. Amazingly, she received this card in the mail the same day she had her surgery.

Hope for a Cure

This was my very first easel card and it's actually very easy! I knew when making this card that it had to have a pink ribbon and the sentiment Hope. The ribbon I used came from Michael's and also the rhinestones. The flowers were a lucky find at Walmart years ago that I just never found a use for. Here are some close-up shots of the little details.

Hope

Flowers

I hope you enjoyed looking at my cards as much as I enjoy making them!

YouTube Inspirations

2010-08-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love YouTube! If it wasn't for the site I don't think I would know how to do much of anything at all! Here are some of the cards I just had to make myself after playing online.

True Love Flower

Such an easy flower card. All you need is paper, a corner punch and a center embellishment..love it. I really loved doing the brad though. It was orange with polka dots but I inked it then embossed it with some glittered embossing powder. The designer paper and cardstock were from my scrap pile and the ribbon came out of a dollar bin at JoAnn's. ( This one is also for the OWH Stash Challenge )

Blessing Pinwheel

This one was super fun! Anything that involves breaking out my Cuddle Bug makes me smile!! (Thanks again for the best birthday present ever mom!) The paper once again came out of my scraps and then there's a random brad from my stash. Not quite sure which stamp set this stamp came from but if you are interested I'll dig through and let you know!

Power Behind Us

Here she is, the card that has been a headache for me for the past month! Looks simple enough right? Wrong! This has to have been the most stubborn ribbon I've dealt with. I went through three adhesives to get it to stick and it still wouldn't! So then came the brads. Headache over! This was also my first attempt with paper piercing. I like it...you're going to see it a lot more now.

Annni-VERVE-sary

2010-08-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

How exciting! A 3yr Anni-VERVE-sary for one of my new favorite brands of stamps. I created this blog just for this moment!! Welcome to all and I hope you enjoy the blog hop and experience some serious creativity!!

If you've been following the hop, you just arrived from Leslie's Blog! If you are just starting along, please visit Julee's Blog for all the info on how to win prizes and to start the hop from the beginning! Click here for the Master Hop list to get the full list of links!

Here's my Card =)

How Loved You Are

I love this sentiment..especially since my brother is having a baby and I think it fits the moment perfect. I broke out my Cuddle Bug and used the Swiss Dots and Stars A2 folders. I then took some Charcoal Chalk and brushed it gently over the top to give it a distressed look. I also chalked all the edges. The ribbon ended up a surprise for me. I thought it was thin but it turned out not so! I'm absolutely happy with it though.

Thanks for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoyed my card and please visit again! Next on the hop is Michelle’s blog, ENJOY!!

Winter Wishes

2010-07-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

So I'm taking my first shot at a blog challenge. The card is for the OWH Midweek Throwdown Challenge -Christmas in July Enjoy!

Winter Wishes

I tried to keep away from the patterned paper with this one and I have to admit I really like it. I used my Cuddle Bug and the Swiss Dots A2 folder for the red cardstock and the rest was just stamps from several stamp sets that I used glossy accents on. I am testing its abilities and though its clean and simple I really like embossing powder better as an outline.

Thanks for stopping by =)

You Make Me Smile

2010-07-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

So I finally purchased some REALLY awesome stamps from Verve and I love them. I'm a very patriotic person and their American Hero Collection is my favorite. For this card though, I used the Blue Skies collection.

You Make Me Smile

I think the hardest part of this card was the butterflies! I stamped, then embossed, then colored, then cut! I used craft wire to make the antennas and used glue dots to adhere them to the page. The sentiment is also embossed (I just love how embossing looks). I've really wanted to focus on anytime cards for the troops and I think this hit the spot! Who doesn't enjoy a card or letter for no reason other than somebody cares about you!

This next card is a mixture of Blue Skies and Always on My Mind.

My Thoughts

Once again I stamped and cut the butterflies from the Blue Skies collection. I used Charcoal Chalk to soften the edges. Chalking is another favorite technique of mine!

All of my cards created so far are for OWH. A nice way to give to those who give all for you =)

Rockstar

2010-07-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make some cards that were very CAS (clean and simple). Since you can't use glitter on the cards being donated to OWH, I used my metallic paper stack to add bling and The Rockstar Stack by DCWV since it already had the metallic accent on several of the pages.

Popped Stars

For this card it was simple. I selected a few stars and then cut them out with my X-acto knife. I placed the paper on some hot pink cardstock then hand wrote my sentiment. I reused the cut out stars to add dimension just by placing them on top of random stars with 3d foam.

Side Shot

Pretty easy right!

My next card took a little more time and I couldn't resist the urge for brads!

Thinking of You Rockstar

I hand cut the guitar with some scissors and used leftover stars from the first card. After that it was just layering. I'm embossed the sentiment for added texture. Add 4 black brads and done!

About Me

2010-07-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hey out there!

My name is Samantha and I have a strong passion for paper crafts. I've only been crafting for about 2 years and it's been mostly self-taught by YouTube. Recently, I found a new passion, card making for our Nations HEROES!! Operation Write Home (OWH) consists of fellow crafters from all over who make handmade cards and donate them to the troops so that the may write home to their loved ones. There is so much joy in knowing that your card could have so much impact on a stranger.

A little about my personal life.
Well I am fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom and a wife to one of our nations heroes. My husband serves in the United States Army and we are so proud of him and all that he does. I have 2 children; a daughter age 3yrs and a son age 18mths. They are quite the handfuls and I love spending time with them.

That's about all I have to share for now. Off to craft =)