FOR THE GIRLS

This week's Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown Challenge is to create a card our heroes can send home to their female loved one, be it wife, daughter, mother, etc. I have to admit this was easy for me as the majority of the cards I make are for husband/wife heroes to send to their spouse. If anything that can be done to enhance communication between husband and wife during their separation, it is a "very good thing" as Martha would say. Thank you Heidi-Mari for the beautiful sample you provided for this challenge. I also enjoyed reading about you and your family.

This card was taken from a Stamp TV feature called Bleached Leaves, so it is not an original idea, but I must say I am so very pleased with the results. The stamp I used was from a vintage Stampin Up set called Fantastic Foliage. The papers are Gina K: Wine with Everything, Pumpkin Spice, Black Onyx, and Sweet Corn. The sentiment is also from Stampin Up and the ribbon is from my stash. I used Twinkling H20s and mica powders to give the leaves their color and dimension.

Hope you are having a blessed week!

MORE LOVE FOR OWH's SKETCH #36

Another week has passed - wow! I think I am beginning to understand what "they" mean when they say the older one gets, the faster time goes by. We had to make several trips to the doctor for my 94-year-old MIL (tests, etc.), which takes up the entire day as we live in a small community and have to drive more than an hour one way to go to the "big city".  . .  AND if one is in the big city, of course they must go out for late lunch/early dinner. I was also able to quickly stop by Michaels for a big sale on ribbon and pick up some great deals in colors for fall and Christmas.

Looking out the window from my crafting table, the deciduous trees have turned beautiful shades of yellow, orange, purple, and caramel. They are dotted in with the pine trees and the view is stunning. My heart leaps with joy at the thought of winter and snow coming!

Here is this week's sketch:

 And here is my card:

 

It was a simple card to make and I will probably make more of them. I am really enjoying this image from the Stamping Boutique, one of our dear sponsors for the Birthday Bash. Lots of great digi images there! I colored the image with Copics and used "At You Spica" for the flower centers , the bands on the watering can, and highlights. The papers are DCWV Near East and Gina K's Everything with Wine and Sweet Corn. The stamp is a vintage Stampin Up stamp from 1992 I Love You Mini set, stamped with Baroque Burgundy ink.

 

Here's hoping you have a wonderful week!

Blessings and love,

I STILL LOVE YOU - HONEST

I have been SO negligent posting my blog the last couple of weeks as the Fox family has been very busy recently and, as well, we did take a few serendipitous days away to play! Here is a card I created with a stamp set I "stole" from eBay.

The stamp set is God's Beauty by Stampin Up. The DP is from the Luxury Stack by DCWV. I colored the flowers and leaves with Copics and then used Crystal Lacquer on the flowers. The cute mini buttons that are the center of the flowers and the gold bands are from my stash; the belly band was done with a Martha Stewart edger punch. I am making several of these to send to Operation Write Home. This flower looks great as a single flower or by stacking a couple of them on top of one another. It is a quick and easy card to make and I hope that as many people as possible with CASE it (copy and share everything) and send the cards to OWH! Blessings and joy in your week.

3 CARD CHALLENGE

I just came across a 3 Card Challenge along with a couple of really cute FREE digi images on Yolanda's blog Imagine. Make. Share.! So here I am to post some cards I worked on yesterday to go into my OWH box. Please go on over and see the wonderful post on Yolanda's blog!

I am so into Fall colors and themes right now and I am enamored with Gina K's Pumpkin Spice paper; the color is soooo rich. I have had this ribbon, which matches perfectly, for a long time that I purchased not because I loved it, but because it was too great a deal to pass up.


Recipe:
Stamps: Beautiful Blossoms (JustRite); Thinking of You (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Pumpkin Spice, Sweet Corn, Black Onyx (Gina K)
Ink: Assorted Copics, Close to Cocoa (Stampin' Up)
Ribbon: Stash

Still wishing you a wonderful Labor Day and many blessings in your week.

HUGS AND KISSES

This week's Stars and Stripes Weekly Sketch Challenge #34 provided us with another fun card to create. It was especially fun for me as I used our own Sandy's wonderful free digi image from Ciara's Family Challenge. I think I may be getting better at coloring images of people and animals as I do more and more of them and Sandy makes it irresistible with these adorable images! Thanks also to Cathy for her inspiration card. And I promise, I started coloring this image several days ago and didn't copy from Carol at Our Little Inspirations (although it wouldn't have been the first time I have cased one of her beautiful cards). I guess great minds just think alike!

THE Sketch:
MY Card:

Stamp: Free digi from Stars and Stamps Blog; hugs and kisses (Stampin' UP)
Ink: Copics; Close to Cocoa (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Indian Summer (DCWV); Faith (The Paper Studios) Lipstick Red (Gina K)
Accessories: Heart Brad (Stash)

Hoping you have a blessed week and a wonderful Labor Day!

PUPPY MAIL

I had so much fun doing this image for the Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge this week! This image I learned about from my friend Carol at Our Little Inspirations. She is very creative and one of my favorite card artists! The digi was offered as a freebie from Sliejke Digi Stamps where you will find many terrific digis all available for free as the artist enjoys sharing her "God-given talents" as she describes it. There is so much to see both on Carol's and Sliejke's website!

The Sketch:


My Card:
Isn't this digi image just absolutely adorable? I usually go for the florals, but since the day I saw the card that Carol created, I have wanted to make a card using "Puppy Mail"! I colored the image with Copics and put a border of Everything with Wine followed by a Sweet Corn embossed strip (both by Gina K). The DP is from DCWV's Far East Stack. The half pearls are from my stash.

I didn't post last week as I was on jury duty - a very long and interesting week. As well, having to drive off the mountain for an hour one way into the 105 degree heat was the worst torture possible for me. But I lived through it and my service is completed, so I am happy and am looking forward to a relaxing and cooler week coming up!

I hope and pray that you, too, will have a wonderful week. Blessings,

LOVE THIS IMAGE

Thank you for stopping by my blog! Many of you have probably seen this Digi Doodle image before, but I am relatively new to the Digi Doodle Shop. This image was so much fun to color and the florals are right up my alley, so I thought I would enter this card into Digi Doodle Shop's weekly challenge! I have purchased several of their images and you will be seeing them soon!


I have also entered this card in the Fab 'n' Funky Challenge! They would like to see flowers for their challenge this week, and I thought this card should certainly qualify.

Ultimately this card and several more just like it will be sent blank to our deployed soldiers so that they may send them to their husbands and wives or other friends and family through Operation Write Home. Hundreds of stampers across the United States send cards to our heroes through OWH to keep the lines of communication flowing among those they care for. If you are a card maker and have never been to the OWH website, I enthusiastically recommend it. You may also want to visit their stamper's blog, Stars and Stamps! Who wouldn't want to receive such a beautiful flower arrangement!

Card details:
Stamp: Cone Flower and Vase Digi by Digi Doodle Shop
Paper: DP is from Latte and Naturals by DCWV; Lavender cardstock is Lovely Lavender by Gina K; Base is Solar White (Neenah)
Sentiment: Miss You... (Stampin' Up retired)
Accessories: Spellbinder Dies; Lavender Half Pearls from stash; Copic Markers

I hope you have a blessed week!

HELLO

It is time for the Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #30. I have fallen in love with this digi entitled Calliopsis from Digi Doodle (They are offering 15% off during August!). I originally saw it on Karen Howard's Blog, Feline Creative, and instantly was enamored with it. I know you will be seeing it again from me in the not too distant future!

Here is the Sketch:

And here is my card:

The Fall colors are very inspirational for me and this card was a lot of fun to make. I am making additional cards to put in my box to Operation Write Home. Hey, I wonder if, since I bought my electric Big Shot from Jo-Ann's, if any card I make with a Spellbinder die or a Cuttlebug folder qualifies the card for the Craft for a Cause contest. Hmmmm......

Digi: Calliopsis (Digi Doodles)
Sentiment: Stampin' Up (1992)
Paper: DP is Natural Stack (DCWV); CS is Cranberry Tart and Sweet Corn (Gina K)
Ink: Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up)
Copic Markers: YG93, YG95, Y02, Y06,Y08, E31
Ribbon: Wal-Mart
Other: Spellbinder dies, Martha Stewart punch

I'VE FALL-EN AND I CAN'T GET UP

I had to participate in the S&S Midweek Throwdown because it represents a day I have been waiting for! Making cards for Fall - and now I don't know if I shall stamp anything but cards for Fall going forward! It is absolutely my very most favorite season! It represents the coming of cooler weather - and that is very important as I do not at all do well in hot weather. It seems to just literally suck all of the energy from me.

I love this image - it was free from Dover Publishing. If you go to their website here and scroll all the way to the very bottom, you will see Free Samples. Click on that and enter your email address and you will receive an email every other week or so with samples. Many of the images they offer are quite suitable to use as digis. I colored this image with Copics and mounted it on Gina K papers of Pumpkin Spice (smallest square), Sweet Corn, and Chocolate Kiss. The DP is from Naturals by DCWV.

It was a fun card to make and plan to do several of these for my OWH box. Blessings to all of you; hope you are having a wonderful week.

A BOUQUET FOR YOU

Happy Sunday! It must be Sunday as I attended church today and there is a sketch challenge on the Stars and Stamps blog! My favorite day of the week for both reasons!!

Here is my card:

And here is the sketch:
I am a little disappointed at the photo, I just couldn't get a good shot of the flowers which are prettier and much more vibrant in person then they are in this picture. But after taking over 10 photos, I decided to choose the best one and hope that you will get the idea!

The card is made using
Paper: Lipstick Red, Midnight Fog, Slate Grey (all by Gina K) ; DP is Linen Closet (DCWV)
Digi Image: Free from Dover Publishing Sampler (I think); Sentiment is computer-generated
Ink: Copics
Red Pearls: Purchased in bulk on eBay

Hope to see you again soon and thanks for your visit!

OH, THIS IS SOOOOO HEAVY!

Another fun day of crafting today! What a blessing that I could spend time stamping and that you came by to see what I did!!

We had another birthday in the family - my older brother, who lives in Louisiana. I really enjoyed coloring this image with Copics - it is the Birthday Bear image from our very own Stars and Stamps free digi collection (look for the blue "S&S Free Digis" button on the right side of the page near the top). The DP is from DCWV Linen Closet. There is a sentiment on this card but it is on the inside since the image really communicates without any words what the card is about. It is a great card for a child, but it fits my brother well and I think he will enjoy it as he is very tall just like the cake. I wonder what I did before Spellbinder dies came along, and I have a joke with my DH Chuck that each time I use my electric Big Shot I say, "Have I thanked you today for agreeing that an electric die cut machine was worth the extra investment?" Indeed, it is for me, as I usually do make multiples of each card I post and send them to OWH!

Please feel free to leave a comment below if you would like. I always enjoy reading them! Blessings on your day,

TREE OF LIFE STILL IN MY BRAIN

Hello and thanks checking out my newest creation. I saw this week's Stars and Stripes sketch and Holley's beautiful cards and just had to give it a go.

The sketch:
I still have Paulette's "Tree of Life image" from Create with TLC going in my head, so I decided to use it. Somehow, I just can't put this image on anything but an oval - guess it is the oval framing on the digi image. The card base is Gina K Sweet Corn, the belly band is Gina K Cranberry Tart, the strips are DCWV's Linen Closet. I used a direct to ink technique with Distress embossing ink around the outside of the belly band and embossed the Stampin Up sentiment and the belly band with Stampin UP Gold embossing powder. The Tree of Life image is colored with Copics and the I used a tiny bit of at you Spica in the center of each flower. I really like the way the colors came together. I am making a couple dozen of these for our heroes because they are so fun to make.

Hope you are enjoying the summer - it has been unusually hot - high 80s and low 90s here in the mountains. That won't seem hot to many of you living in places that rise to over 100 degrees, but for our mile-high mountains, we are wilting! Blessings in all you do!

Happy Birthday to Our Daughter Kimberly

Here is a card I made for our daughter, Kimberly. She and her husband recently purchased a new house with a little bit of land, which she affectionately calls "the farm". She even has a John Deere tractor to go with it and so far, she has chickens and bees - - E I E I O! I can honestly say I have never seen her happier and that brings such enormous, inexpressible joy to my heart.

The card is from an old, discontinued (1999) Stampin Up set called Times and Seasons. I stamped it with Distress Vintage Photo Ink (I am always so surprised how well this ink works with Copics!). I used so many Copic markers I lost track of the colors, but I didn't have "John Deere" green so I laid down G07 Nile Green under BG49 Duck Blue, which worked pretty well. I embossed the sentiment from Flourishes "Happy Birthday" set using Distress Emboss Ink and Judi-kins Metallic Bronze powder. The papers are DP Basic Grey Kioshi and Gina K Asparagus Green and Sweet Corn. I used a very small amount of Diamond Stickles on the center of the sunflowers. I sponged the sky and earth with SU Ballet Blue and SU Sage Green. It was a really fun card to make as it took me out of my usual box a bit.

A Little Asian Influence

Hello everyone. Thanks for coming by to see my card for the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #26! Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

I fell in love with the FREE digi "Tree of Life" image I found on Paulette's "Create with TLC" website (http://createwithtlc-createwithtlc.blogspot.com). She is a big fan and sponsor of OWH and if you haven't visited her site, you are in for a very special treat. She offers some really beautiful images - some of which are freebies! She is very generous with her gifts and talents!

This card has a bit of an Asian feel I think. The image is colored with Copics. The sentiment is from Stampin Up More Great Greetings using Distress Ink Vintage Photo ink. The DP is from DCWV's Far East and Luxury Stack (belly band). The trim on top the belly band is a peel off and the bottom is punched with a Martha Stewart punch.

I really enjoyed participating in the Sketch Challenge again. Hope you have a really great week! Blessings and love,

MISS YOU AND MISSING YOU!

Wow, I was so surprised to look at how long it was since I had last posted! My apologies everyone and I have missed you! I think finally I am over the sore throat/cold/flu thing I had and, believe it or not, I am now walking almost all the time without even a cane! This is a great victory for me!!

I wanted to try to do something a little different and a card with a somewhat masculine bent. This is what I came up with. The flower and leaf is from Stampin' Up's set God's Beauty. The sentiment is unknown. DP is from Natural by DCWV and the card stock is Gina K Red Rocket and Chocolate Kiss. You will notice from the photograph that the flower is shiny. I covered it with Liquid Glaze and put a rhinestone in the middle for a little bling. The Liquid Glaze really makes the flower POP!

I hope you enjoyed the card! Thanks for coming by! Blessings,

A SPECIAL CARD FOR A SPECIAL COUPLE

Here is an anniversary card I made for some very special friends - some of you know Stampin Sher (Smiles for everyone!) and perhaps even her husband, PC (Prince Charming) as she has nicknamed him. They have been married twenty years now - my how time flies by when you are having fun and are in love!

Happy Anniversary you two!


Paper: Indian Summer Fall Stack (DCWV) for ocean; Bashful blue (Stampin UP) for sky inked with Ballet Blue to make clouds; 80# Solar White (Neenah) for land and lighthouse.
Stamp: A Guiding Light (Flourishes.org); Sentiment was done on the computer.
Ink: Copics
Accessories: Diamond Dust (Stickles); Gelly Roll (Sakura)

SIMPLE IS BETTER. . . AT LEAST TODAY

Good, beautiful day!! I feel like it is such a beautiful day and I hope you are feeling that too. Slowly but surely I am getting back in the swing - I am completely off the walker and on the cane and my recovery is going very well. I think I was so excited about being more mobile (I can walk with the cane and still have a free hand to carry something), I really overdid it the first part of the week. So the solution to that is to do nothing but sit and stamp for a couple of days! Too bad!

The inspiration for this card is the Cuttlebug embossing folder I just purchased, which suits my style of stamping very well. The embossing all the way around the card really pulls your eye to the image in the center, which is the focal point for the card. It is such a simple card and this Stampin' Up image from 1999 is fun to color with my Copics.

Thanks for coming by! I hope to return to more frequent postings and more participation in the OWH Stars and Stamps Challenges from here on out!

Blessings,

NOW THIS IS EXCITING!

I just saw the most exciting thing! It is a badge (look to your right) saying OWH is having an Independence Day Blog Tour on July 2nd. I find this very exciting as I missed the last one due having surgery and I WAS still in mourning from missing it! I think for this one, I am going to have to offer some serious blog candy! So stayed tuned for more information coming your way!!! Blessings to all.
Oh, I am so excited!

I can't wait!

Gotta find some really sensational blog candy for this one!

This is gonna be fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MISS YOU

TaDuhh! My first card since surgery! The sketch is great, but I can't say that I am much enamored with the card, but I am hoping it will be a catalyst to perhaps get my mojo working again! It seems like it has been a long, dry spell.

Here is Brittany's very nice sketch:
My family and I are pleased with how my rehabilitation is coming along and I have an appointment with my surgeon later this week. Hopefully I won't have to sleep on my back anymore! Slowly I am leaving the walker behind and maneuver around the house on a cane. But most important of all, I am pain free from the osteoarthritis in my hip! Thanks be to God!

THANK YOU SO MUCH AND POST SURGERY

THANK YOU to everyone who participated and hopped to support our troops during the Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop. I have to admit to you that on the day of the Bloghop, I was in a hospital on a machine pushing the button to administer more Morphine after having had a total hip replacement the day before the Bloghop. The hospital (which is brand new) did not have Wifi and it is probably just as well as who knows what my comments might have said in my stupor! I am so pleased that I had 117 comments which is 234 cards to make for Operation Write Home! I did receive my desire to have more comments this bloghop, as I received 1 more than last time!!!! So as part of my therapy and recovery, I have some cards to make for Operation Write Home. Thanks be to God!

I am doing very well but my posting may be more infrequent as it takes longer to do everything and I am limited to the amount of time I can sit with my leg down before it starts to swell. But as time goes on I feel stronger and better, so I hope to be back to normal soon. God bless you all.