distressing bananas with a sketch

4 Responses »
Feb 282012

For today’s card, I’ve combined the current Lawnscaping challenge with the February Sketch For You To Try layout.  Well, actually it’s the mirror image of the sketch.  I reversed it so the bananas wouldn’t be “looking off the edge” of the card. The Lawnscaping challenge is to use distressing on your project.  I chose to ink the edges of the sentiment circle.  I also sponged the circular elements on the long narrow strip in the sketch and then glued the fussy cut bananas over them.  I decided to dress up the inside of the card a bit by adding a bit of sponging to the edges of the liner cardstock and another banana just for fun.  I kept the card pretty simple, without a lot of foofy stuff, because it’s going in my Operation Write Home stash.

 

Supplies:
Stamps: My Silly Valentine (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla, Barely Banana textured (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Close to Cocoa (SU)
Other: standard circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders); markers (Copic); sponge

Posted by PH in VA at 11:30 pm Cards, Lawn Fawn, Lawnscaping challenges, Operation Write Home, SFYTT sketches, Stampin' Up!

{heart}

1 Response »
Feb 272012

Right now in Operation Write Home Land, it’s time to get ready for Mother’s Day.  They are even sponsoring a challenge – send a package of your handmade cards, half with Mother’s Day/Mom themes, half with general themes such as “thinking of you” and “miss you”, to OWH so that they receive it by March 20, 2012, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a sweet-sounding prize package of a medium flat-rate Priority Mail box filled with cardmaking goodies!  You can click on the notice in my right sidebar for more details.

Today I’m sharing a “Mom” card that I’ll be sending to OWH in March.  I combined two Splitcoaststampers.com challenges for it.  The layout is the current sketch challenge, and the color scheme is the current color challenge.  I used some retired Stampin’ Up designer paper for my pinks and added sponging to the petals of the punched flower.

 

Supplies:
Stamps: It’s Good to be Queen (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Cardstock: Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); Basic Gray, Berry Bliss designer papers (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink (SU)
Other: 5-Petal Flower punch, Spring Flower Bouquet punch (SU); Layered Arches punch (Martha Stewart Crafts); plain oval and petite scalloped oval Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders); half pearl (KaiserCraft); sponge

Posted by PH in VA at 12:00 pm Cards, Lizzie Anne Designs, Nestabilities, Operation Write Home, OWH Midweek/Midmonth Throwdown, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!

thinking and smiling

1 Response »
Feb 242012

I just love this sentiment from one of the stamp sets Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps released earlier this month.  It’s so perfect for cards for Operation Write Home!  I’ve been slowly but surely working on filling a box of cards for the OWH Mother’s Day Challenge, and today’s card is one of the general themes cards I’m making for it.

I used Sweet Stop sketch #146 for the layout, with a few tweaks – I switched the rectangular panel to a vertical format, which meant I needed to place it over the ribbon because I didn’t want to cover up Rhubarb the bear’s feet.  I liked the current Desert Islands Craft Challenge itinerary enough to create another card for it.  This time the elements I used were the color green, two or more patterned papers, two or more die cuts, and stitching.  I do have to say that as much as I love the look of stitching on cards, handstitching around the perimeter of this one took longer than I thought it would.  But I’m completely amazed and pleasantly surprised that many of the DMC embroidery floss colors I bought during my cross stitching days back in the late 1980s and early 1990s coordinate with the Stampin’ Up cardstocks and designer papers I own now!

Supplies:
Stamps: Thoughtful Rhubarb (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Afternoon Tea designer papers (Stampin’ Up); Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: scallop border die (Papertrey Ink); classic scalloped rectangle and petite scalloped circle Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders); corner rounder punch (SU); embroidery floss (DMC); markers (Copic)

Posted by PH in VA at 11:00 am Cards, Desert Islands Craft Challenge, Nestabilities, Operation Write Home, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, The Sweet Stop sketches

sweet Cocoa

3 Responses »
Feb 232012

After last week’s mixup with the date, I was determined not to let the current Sweet ‘n Sassy Digi Challenge get away from me again this week!  This week they provided an inspiration photo of cupcakes to use as a springboard for creating a project.  I generally don’t do well with inspiration photo challenges, but I came up with today’s card for this one.  It’s a pretty simple layout, borrowed from the OWH Stars and Stamps blog sketch collection.  I printed the digi image twice, once on the cream cardstock and once on a scrap of pink designer paper so I could paper piece the cupcake wrapper.

Supplies:
Digital Image: Cupcake Cocoa (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa (Stampin’ Up); Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink); designer papers from Blush 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: printer ink
Other: markers (Copic); standard circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders); flowers (Prima); flower brads (Making Memories)

Posted by PH in VA at 3:30 pm Cards, Digital images, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

birthday boys

Comments Off on birthday boys
Feb 222012

Both my husband and my older son have February birthdays.  Today I’m sharing the cards I made for them this year.

My husband has loved trains ever since he was a little boy.  So it seemed pretty obvious for me to use this retired Stampin’ Up stamp set for his card.  I did a fair amount of sponging to try to give an aged, vintage feel to the card.  (Not because of my husband’s age, but because of the old-fashioned steam locomotive!) The layout is a Splitcoaststampers.com sketch layout from several weeks ago.

 

My son just turned 16.  In my opinion as a cardmaker, that’s sort of an awkward age because you don’t want to create something that seems childish, yet you don’t want to create something that could be considered “too old” or “stuffy”.  So I decided to stay pretty clean and simple and straight to the point for this card.

 

And there you have it… two birthday boys, two birthday cards.

Supplies for the train card are all from Stampin’ Up unless otherwise noted:
Stamps: All Aboard
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, Recollections designer paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Other: Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon (SU); ribbon slide (All My Memories); sponge

Supplies for the blue and brown card:
Stamps: Quinn’s ABCs (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Chocolate Chip (Stampin’ Up); Solar White (Neenah)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: markers (Copic)

Posted by PH in VA at 7:00 am Cards, Lawn Fawn, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!

snow day = stamping time

8 Responses »
Feb 202012

We finally got some snow this winter!  It started coming down Sunday afternoon and lasted well past dark.  My son measured it before he went to bed and said there was between 6″ and 7″.  We need it badly because it’s been so dry.

So, since we weren’t going out and about this afternoon and evening, I stayed in my craft room and made a few cards for some of the various online challenges in which I enjoy participating.  First is a card I made combining this week’s Splitcoaststampers.com sketch challenge and color challenge.  Even though the color challenge was just for the blues and kraft, I added a little bit of green leaves to the image so the flower wouldn’t look naked.  Doing that made the card work for the current OWH Stars and Stamps blog Midweek Throwdown challenge.

All supplies for this card are from Stampin’ Up unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Wild Rose, Sincere Salutations
Cardstock: Kraft, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla
Ink: Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi, Night of Navy
Other: standard circle and petite scalloped circle Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders)

 

My second card is a true “Stampin’ Up Only” card. I used this week’s Stars and Stamps blog sketch challenge for the layout. Because I was able to find out this week’s Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple challenge early,  I added the faux stitching so the card works for that challenge too.  I even drew a faux stitch on the button.

Supplies:
Stamps: Artfully Asian, Messages for Mom
Cardstock: Rose Red, Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss
Ink: Rose Red, Mellow Moss
Other: Rose Red and Mellow Moss markers, blender pen, button, piercing tool kit

Posted by PH in VA at 7:00 am Cards, Nestabilities, Operation Write Home, OWH Midweek/Midmonth Throwdown, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!

oops

5 Responses »
Feb 172012

I goofed.  I got my dates mixed up.  I meant to get this card made for the SNS Digi Challenge presented last week, to create a card with a hat image.  Unfortunately, I’m a day late on that challenge.

On the bright side, though, I’m getting this post done just in the nick of time before the Sweet Stop Sketch challenge #145 ends.  This card ties in with four of the current Desert Islands Craft Challenge itinerary items – two or more patterned papers, kraft, the color green, and polka dots.  It also fits this week’s OWH Stars and Stamps Midweek Throwdown challenge to create a card using the colors blue, green and either kraft or tan, and the February OWH ODBD challenge to use ribbon.

Plus, now I have another card to donate to Operation Write Home – and that’s always a good thing! 🙂

Supplies:
Digital Image: Party Hat Cocoa (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Sentiment Stamp: Everyday Sayings (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Cardstock: Kraft, Buckaroo Blue, Certainly Celery Prints designer series paper (Stampin’ Up); Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: printer ink; Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Crumb Cake seam binding (SU); markers (Copic)

Posted by PH in VA at 11:15 pm Cards, Desert Islands Craft Challenge, Digital images, Lizzie Anne Designs, Operation Write Home, OWH Midweek/Midmonth Throwdown, Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenges, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, The Sweet Stop sketches

Happy Valentine's Day!

3 Responses »
Feb 142012

I have a quick CAS card to share today.  This one was inspired by the current Lawnscaping challenge and the current Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple challenge.

I hope you enjoy Valentine’s Day with someone you love!

Supplies:
Stamps: My Silly Valentine (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); “Romance” from Blush collection (Basic Grey)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler (Stampin’ Up)
Other: Heart #3 Sizzlits die (Sizzix); sponge

Posted by PH in VA at 12:00 pm Basic Grey, Cards, Lawn Fawn, Lawnscaping challenges, Splitcoast challenges

more VCMP cards

6 Responses »
Feb 122012

Here are the rest of the cards I created for the past week’s Virtual Card Making Party at the OWH Stars and Stamps blog.

Challenge 5: “It’s a Party!” – make a birthday card.  This card also fits in with the current Desert Islands Craft Challenge; I used a birthday theme, a birthday sentiment, party hats, and bright colors.

 

Challenge 6: “Sand & Sea” – use blues and tans on the card.  This one uses this week’s OWH Stars and Stamps sketch for the layout.

 

Challenge 7:  “CAS: Clean and Simple” – make a clean and simple card

 

I combined two challenges for my last card.
Challenge 9:  “Cut It Out!” – use punches or die cuts; and Challenge 13: “Embossing” – use either heat or dry embossing on your card

Whew! 🙂 It’s been a busy week, but it’s been a lot of fun. And it feels good to know that these cards will bring some happiness to a few of our country’s military families.

Posted by PH in VA at 11:30 pm Cards, Desert Islands Craft Challenge, Lawn Fawn, Operation Write Home, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Stampin' Up!

OWH Virtual Card Making Party

1 Response »
Feb 122012

The Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps Blog has been holding a Virtual Card Making Party all week, with challenges posted every night.  I haven’t had the time to take part in all the challenges, but I did get several of them done.  So without further chitchat, here they are:

Challenge 1:  “Hot Tropics” – use bright pink, green, and yellow

 

Challenge 2:  “Masculine Nautical” – make a masculine card with a nautical or beach theme.  The layout for this one is OWH Stars and Stamps sketch 79.

 

Challenge 3:  “Funky Fold” – make a card using the “Funky Fold” technique

 

Challenge 4:  “Beachy Thinking of You” – make a “thinking of you” card with a beach theme.  This one uses Stars and Stamps sketch 82 for the layout.

Stay tuned for another post with the rest of the cards I made for the party. 🙂

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 pm Cards, Operation Write Home, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Stampin' Up!

Easter lambs

1 Response »
Feb 102012

Because I’ve been making Easter cards this week for Operation Write Home, I was trying to think of the different stamps and digital images I have that could be used for Easter.  I recalled a digital image of a sheep that I had bought a few months ago and wondered if I could use it as an Easter lamb.  The image came with the sentiment “ewe mean the world to me”, which is cute, but I didn’t want that for Easter.  So I cropped it out with my photo editing program.  Then I had a cute little lamb image to use for a couple of Easter cards.

For the first card, I used this week’s Splitcoaststampers.com sketch challenge layout.  I generated the Happy Easter sentiment with Microsoft Word.  I added a little shading to the lamb with Copics and drew in some grass so he wouldn’t be “floating”.

 

I used this week’s OWH Stars and Stamps sketch for a second lamb card.  This time I added a few tiny yellow flowers to the meadow grass, and I rounded the top corners of the panels to sort of coordinate with the roundness of the lamb.  I don’t often use religious sentiments, but I thought since this card is going to OWH, one of our heroes might like it.  This sentiment was also created with Microsoft Word.

 

So there are two more Easter cards fulfilling this week’s OWH Midweek Throwdown for my Operation Write Home box. I just have a few more cards to make to have a shipment of 50 cards… so I’d better get back to creating so I can mail them off Saturday morning!

Supplies for the “Happy Easter” card:
Digital Image: Ewe Mean the World (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Tea Party designer papers (Stampin’ Up); Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: printer ink
Other: Pink Pirouette ribbon, corner rounder (SU); markers (Copic)

Supplies for the “Behold the Lamb” card:
Digital Image: Ewe Mean the World (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: So Saffron, Tea Party designer paper (Stampin’ Up); Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: printer ink
Other: corner rounder (SU); markers (Copic); Apple, Cotton Candy, and Lemon twine (Really Reasonable Ribbon)

Posted by PH in VA at 7:00 am Cards, Digital images, Operation Write Home, OWH Midweek/Midmonth Throwdown, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

here comes... Cocoa Cottontail?

10 Responses »
Feb 082012

Well, no, not quite.  I’ve been using the new Egg-cited Cocoa stamp set from Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps to create some Easter cards for Operation Write Home.  The OWH shippers need to receive Easter cards by February 15, which is why I’ve been working on them now even though Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.

The first card here uses the current Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge sketch.  I turned the sketch on its side and took the liberty of swapping the locations of the sentiment and the embellishment.  I had to do a little fussy cutting to accommodate Cocoa’s tail.  I had a hard time getting the true colors of the card to come through on the photo, and the colors really do coordinate in real life.  The egg is colored primarily with different plum shades.

 

Today’s second card is a derivative of this week’s OWH Stars and Stamps blog sketch.  I left off the ribbon embellishment because it didn’t really fit.

 

The Cocoa image is available both as part of a clear stamp set and as a digital image. I chose to use the digital version so I could resize it to fit the spaces available on the sketches. The ability to resize is one thing I really like about digital stamps!

Supplies for the plum card:
Digital Image: Egg-cited Cocoa (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Sentiment: Egg-Cited Cocoa (SNSS)
Cardstock: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum (Stampin’ Up); Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); designer papers from Kioshi 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); printer ink
Other: flowers (Prima); dew drop (Robin’s Nest); petite oval and petite scalloped oval Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders); markers (Copic)

Supplies for the pink card:
Digital Image: Egg-cited Cocoa (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Sentiment: Egg-Cited Cocoa (SNSS)
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Almost Amethyst, Tea Party designer paper (Stampin’ Up); Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); printer ink
Other: markers (Copic)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Basic Grey, Cards, Digital images, Nestabilities, Operation Write Home, OWH Midweek/Midmonth Throwdown, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

more love

1 Response »
Feb 072012

Today’s card was made primarily for the release party Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps held over the weekend to celebrate their new products for February.  The challenge for this particular card was to make something that fit the theme “love”.  However, it also fits into the Feb. 1 Midweek Throwdown at the OWH Stars and Stamps blog, as well as this week’s Clean and Simple challenge at Splitcoaststampers.com.  I cut a bunch of hearts from scraps of Basic Grey designer paper, fit them together into a curved line, and added the sentiment for a pretty easy CAS layered card.

Supplies:
Stamps: You (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Cool Caribbean, Blushing Bride, Whisper White (Stampin’ Up); scraps from Blush 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Blushing Bride, Cool Caribbean (SU)
Other: Heart dies (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Posted by PH in VA at 9:30 am Cards, Operation Write Home, OWH Midweek/Midmonth Throwdown, Splitcoast challenges, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

so loved

5 Responses »
Feb 052012

Here’s a quick card I made today for this week’s OWH Stars and Stamps sketch challenge, as well as for the release party Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps had at Splitcoaststampers.com to celebrate their new stamps for February.  The designer paper is some that I’d created myself and had left over when I made a birthday card last year.  Now I have another gender neutral card for my Operation Write Home stash.

Supplies:
Stamps: You (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Kraft, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black (SU)
Other: Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake seam binding (SU); sponge

Posted by PH in VA at 11:00 pm Cards, Operation Write Home, OWH Stars & Stamps sketches, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps
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