THREE WONDERFUL WORDS TO HEAR

First, please let me indulge: Happy Birthday Sheri!
Sheri (Stampin Sher) is a very old friend (no, not in age, but in the number of years I have known her - shame on you!) and a wonderful person! She is that special person who involved me in rubber stamping some twenty odd years ago!

Here is a picture of a card I made for our deployed heroes. I made quite a few of the same card to send to Operation Write Home (operationwritehome.net). It is a very easy card to make, as you can see, and I used my favorite sentiment! What can be better than to have someone who you treasure and miss to say "I love you!"


I recently purchased this Just-Rite stamp (there are four in the set) and have really enjoyed coloring with my Copic Markers.

I hope you enjoy. Please do leave a comment - I very much enjoy reading them!


Stamps: Beautiful Blossoms (Just Rite)
Paper: Life's Journey (K&Company) Cranberry Tart (Gina K),
Ink: R24, R29, R59, RV25, YG93, YG95 (Copic), Baroque Burgundy (Stampin Up)
Accessories: Ribbon - Simply Sheer ME Burgundy (Offray), Brass Nail Heads (my stash)

GOT KUSUDAMA?

I have been seeing the Japanese art of paper folding called Kusudama quite a bit lately. The word Kusudama is taken from two Japanese words kusuri which means Medicine and tama which means Ball or Medicine Ball. Originally the medicine balls were sewed or woven together and used for incense or herbs. They may or may not have some sort of decoration hanging from the bottom.


I almost always try something like this when I see it. It is my passion for paper I guess. This is the first one I did. I have done one other one, but gave it to my neighbor Paul across the street who is Korean and does origami as a hobby. We trade gifts of our paper art with each other - the last being a large, graceful origami swan he had given to me. I do find these very relaxing to make and think they will make great gifts!

My next step is to order some red foil paper to see if these might be great Christmas gifts. I will let you know how that turns out when the paper arrives. Each Kusudama takes 63 square pieces of paper. The one in the picture is made from simple, green copy paper cut to 3x3 inch squares with pearls in the center of each flower. The larger the square the larger the Kusudama. Putting Kusudama in any search engine on the internet will give you quite a number of videos and/or instructions with pictures to make one. There are also many different flower styles that can be used which changes the look of the "Medicine Ball."

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you would like to leave any feedback or have questions, please leave me a comment. Blessings,

IT IS A SIMPLE NOTECARD . . .

I was thinking this morning that this is a simple and quick notecard for those of us who make them, but it may end up being something so special to the person receiving it. I think this came out of reading the April 15th post in the OWH Homefront Blog (http://www.owhhomefrontblog.org) which in part read, "One thing we do know is that twice, we've received a note from a family member, telling us that one of our cards was the final piece of communication they had with their loved one's handwriting." Anyone who has lost someone they love, can relate so well to this statement! I keep my Dad's keys from 1978 in the stamping drawer on my desk that I go into most often.

And this is a very simple notecard. It is a new image (for me) that came from The Digi Shack. I very much like digital stamps - they are so versatile because they can be sized to precisely fit the your die cut or the area of your design you want to place it in. The only minor drawback is if you want to put the image on a die-cut - then you must print it first and then cut it out, which is a much more labor intensive process than stamping a die cut with my stamp positioning tool - the Stamp-a-ma-jig. If you have never seen one, Stamp TV (http://stamptv.ning.com/video/how-to-use-it-the-stampamajig) has a really great tutorial by Gina K which will allow you to see the many benefits of using one.

I don't have a card recipe for you today, because I made this from odds n ends, i.e., the olive green paper is leftover from my daughter's wedding, and I have had the corner "Peel Offs" for so long who knows where I got them.

Blessings on your day. I'm off to take care of the day's "must do" activities so I can get back to stamping for my heros!

ARE YOU A "MODERN DAY ROSIE THE RIVETER"?

I hope as I write this blog entry that all who read it will feel in their heart the "spirit" of what I am writing. My husband, Chuck, and I take care of his Mom who was born in 1916 (she will be 94 in June)! In talking to her about what life was like during World War II, I found out that while Pop (her husband of 70 years when he passed away) was overseas fighting, she was an honest to goodness "Rosie the Riveter"! She felt that it was important, that it was her duty, to do what could be done to support the war effort, her husband, and all the soldiers who were giving their lives for freedom and our way of life! Some things do not change no matter how much time passes - today we are at war and there are still soldiers who are giving their lives to protect our way of life!

I know realistically I can't be a Rosie the Riveter the way Mom was, so I asked myself what I could do to make a real difference in this war and in the lives of those who are fighting! My answer was making cards for Operation Write Home. It doesn't have to be something so big it is worthy of the national news - it just has to make a difference in one person's life. About six weeks after I had sent my first cards to OWH, I received an email from a hero in Afghanistan thanking me for my card (my name and email were on the back). He explained that his wife was having their first child in about three weeks and how much it meant to him to have a beautiful card to send to her since he would not be present for the delivery. I can only imagine how she might treasure the card that came from her husband - maybe she might keep it so that when her child asked about where Daddy was when he/she was born, Mom would go to that treasure box that every woman has, and remove the card for her child to see. I have not received any communication from a soldier or family member since. I think I was just intended to have the realization that, yes, it does matter and it does make a difference!

Perhaps the person that will receive the most joy is the card-maker herself. I know I have received enjoyment and made new friends by participating in ways that I am able with OWH.

I hope that you might make a few minutes to make a few cards between now and May 10th to enter for the Make Somebody's Day Challenge! Oh, that we all might receive joy (and blog candy) from being a "Modern Day Rosie the Riveter". Just click on the icon above and to the right for all the details. Wishing you all blessings,

CASED CARD FROM CAROL L

Here is a card I cased from Carol L (http://ourlittleinspirations.blogspot.com/) who also designed our Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge this week. This was a fun card to make and they are a part of my 232 cards challenge cards from the Spring Break Blog Hop! I was pleased with how it turned out and the picture doesn't do it justice!


I was able to give the card a little sparkle by using Copic's At You Spica "Twinkling Like Stars" in the flower centers. The paper is from a new paper pack I just purchased - Kioshi by Basic Grey. I liked every sheet in the paper pack (which is unusual for me!).

Blessings and thanks for stopping by!

Paper: Kioshi (Basic Grey), Mellow Moss (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Mellow Moss (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Ribbon - Mellow Moss (Stampin' Up); Lattice Borderabilities (Spellbinders); Half Pearls (Bulk from Ebay)

Birthday Card for a Friend

Welcome to a new day! I am vertical and able to take nourishment - that means it is a wonderful day full of surprises. Here is a card I made for a girlfriend's birthday. It is made using Flower Soft which I love, but is not at all practical for using on OWH cards. By the time it went to see Sandy in Washington, was shipped to far off places where our deployed heroes are, and then back to some far off destination in the states, it would be road-kill! Or should I say mail-kill! But it really does offer a lot of beauty and dimension for someone who is close enough to hand deliver the card to.


I wish you joy in your day, time for making cards, and lots of supplies to stimulate your creativity. Blessings,

A Grey and Burgundy Father's Day Greeting

A splendid spring day to you all! I hope the flowers are blooming both in your hearts and in your yards! Here is a quick and simple Father's Day card I made a couple of weeks ago. The design originated from the beautiful silk ribbon I found it in a closeout bin at Joann Fabric and was able to purchase a spool of 100 yards for less than $2.00. What a steal!


I have completed half of the challenge cards from our Spring Break blog hop now! And what I realize is that my surgery for a total hip replacement is scheduled for May 28 which means I will still be in the hospital when the Memorial Day Blog Hop takes place! But - I have a plan. I will have the post ready before I leave for the hospital and then I'll have a laptop to use in the hospital! Fortunately, it is a brand new facility and has WiFi in all the patient rooms. I don't think the tray table will provide enough room to stamp so what would I do with myself (although images ready to color and my Copics should work)? Please note: I do already know I am crazy! But can you think of a better, more pleasant and fun way of passing the time in a hospital bed than blog hopping the OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop? I know I can't!

Thanks for stopping by!


Stamps: Stampin' Up
Paper: DP is Designer Basics (Wal-Mart), GinaK
Ink: Baroque Burgundy (SU) Cool Grey #1 (Copic)

He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed!

Happy Easter to one and all.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

When I designed this card, I couldn't decide which I liked better - the darker or the lighter designer paper. I asked Mom what she thought and she liked the darker. I asked Chuck what he thought and he liked the darker. Since I couldn't decide which I liked best, I made 12 of each. Just one of life's many compromises. Which one do you like best?

My progress in coming along for the 232 cards I pledged at the Spring Break Bloghop! I have about 80 cards done so far. But I realize that I haven't participated in the challenges and that is one of my favorite things. So I will probably slow down a bit on making cards and participate more in the challenges on the Stars and Stamps blog.

Lighter card:

Darker card:

Thanks for stopping by - as always I appreciate that you share some of your precious day with me.

Stamp: The Digi Shack, Sentiment is from my computer

Die Cuts: Spellbinders

Paper: Mixed Media Pack at Wal-Mart; Blush Pink by Papertrey

Ink: Copic

Accessories: Offray Ribbon

Thank You Everyone! 232 Cards to Make!

I wish to thank everyone who commented on my blog during the OWH Spring Break Blog Hop! I had 116 wonderful comments which means that I will happily make 230 cards for Operation Write Home and our heroes. A special thanks to Sandy and the team for making it possible to have so much fun!

Blessings to you all and thank you so much,

Here's How to Make 2 Cards in Less Than 3 Minutes

Welcome to the Operation Write Home Spring Break Blog Hop 2010. If you arrived here from Amy Catalogna's blog, Greetings, after starting from the OWH Stars and Stamps Blog, then you are in the right place!! If not, you may wish to start at the Stars and Stamps Blog to get ALL of the details on the hop!!

I have very high hopes for this card! I pray it will leave the man, woman, or child who receives it with a feeling of hope, a feeling of spring, a feeling of new life! Well, maybe I have gotten a little carried away – but I do know this – the person who receives this card, or any OWH card, will know that their deployed hero is thinking of them whether they are in Afghanistan, Iraq, or another place far from home. Our heroes will know that we support them as they make many known and unknown sacrifices in their lives for us.

Now, as the title of my post indicates, here is a little known secret of how YOU can make two cards in less than three minutes. Simply go to the end of this post and for each comment left in the Comments Section, I will make two cards for OWH. I so enjoy reading your comments and I am hoping that if almost everyone leaves a comment, I might have to make around 200 cards!

Next, please hop on over to Joscie’s blog, OHScrap! and thank you so much for coming by. Don't forget to leave your comment! Enjoy the hop! Blessings,

Card Recipe: The card created for today’s hop uses a digital image that was donated to the Stars and Stamps Blog compliments of Fred, She Said Digital Designs for the Stars and Stamps Tulip Trio Tutorial. I added the sentiment to the image on my computer, printed it, and colored it using Copic Markers (RV21, RV23, RV25, YG93, YG95, and C1). I used a stamp from Wonderful Wings by Stampin Up for the butterfly and colored it with Copic’s V12 and V15. (PLEASE NOTE: The butterfly has glitter on it, which cannot be sent unless one covers it with something such as Crystal 3D effects so that the glitter cannot come off the card. (Glitter can make heroes visible at night.) The paper is Solar White (Neenah), Plum Pudding, Lavender Moon (Papertrey Ink). I used pink grosgrain ribbon by Offray, half pearls purchased in bulk from eBay, and die cuts by Spellbinders.

Oh what a beautiful spring day it has been! Perfect temperatures and sunshine. I was able to dig in a couple of the planter boxes today to get the soil ready for what is to come. Some gardening and some stamping - two of my favorite activities! This card is based on a sketch challenge we had not too long ago. I have made quite a few of these with various colors of Iris. It is a fun card to make!

Thanks for stopping by. I really enjoy reading your comments!

Blessings,

Stamp: Spring Floral (Gina K); Sentiment (Computer)

Paper: Solar White (Neenah); Best Occasions (Wal-Mart)

Ink: V12, V15, YG93, YG95, C1

Accessories: die cuts (Spellbinder); butterfly (Anita's Art Stamps)

S&S Sketch Challenge #8

Hello everyone and thanks for spending a few minutes of your day here! I had a lot of fun making this card - it was easy and a good sketch for someone who is just starting out. You can not distinguish easily from the photo, but the purple cardstock is embossed and the lavendar is debossed. I thought the look was interesting and really stands out when you see the card in person. I don't recall where I got this image - it was on my computer and is very easy to size, print, and color by using a Word document. I also enjoyed using my Copic markers on this image as it lends itself well to shading. Shirley, thank you for the sketch.

Here is the sketch:

Stamp: Digi (unknown); Sentiment (computer generated)

Paper: Lavendar Moon, Plum Pudding (Papertrey Ink); Solar White (Neenah)

Ink: G21, G24, YG93, YG95, V12, V15
Accessories: Embossing Folder D'vine Swirls (Cuttlebug); Ribbon Kendra White (Offray); Labels 4 (Spellbinders)

S&S Sketch Challenge #7

Greetings to all of you and thanks so much for dropping by! Since we have almost 6" of new snow and it is still snowing, no church this morning! We never take my MIL, who is almost 94, out in the snow and ice. We are afraid that Mom might injure herself and since she is in such good health and gets around quite well with a cane, it hardly seems worth the risk.

So, this is what I did this morning. . .

Paper: Latte Stack (DCWV)

Accessories: Adhesive Tags (Stiko)

Thank you Erica P. for the great sketch:

Blessings on your day! Louise

Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #6

Here is another fun challenge brought to us by Stars and Stamps and Velda who designed our layout. I was surprised when I looked at the card and got the illusion that the designer paper was cut away rather than the oval flower being placed on top of square paper. It was a simple and quick, but fun, card to make. In retrospect, the bow is too large for the card, but it was already stuck down – and I wish I had every card I have ruined by trying to tweak it after it was completed – Sandy, Kris, and Dixie would each need an extra person to help them for a week!!! (LOL)

Here is the sketch:

Here is my card:

Stamps: Floral Digi (Fred She Said), Sentiment was done on computer

Paper: Latte Stack (DCWV), Solar White (Neenah)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), V12, V15, G24 (Copic)

Accessories: Ribbon (unknown)

Thank you for coming by – I hope you had as much fun seeing the card as I did making it. Please feel free to leave a comment - I am always happy to read them.

OWH Stars and Stamps Hambo's Wee Henry Challenge

I am in a mad rush this morning, but I just had to post my Wee Henry Father's Day card. One of the reason's I love the Stars and Stamps Challenges so much is that it challenges me to do things I would not ordinarily do(I know, I've said this before). This is my first time to color a face with Copic markers - and it is as hard as I thought it might be for Henry's face to look as good as other faces I have seen - but the "first time" is done and I realize what I need is slightly different colors and a LOT of practice. I also used my brads that have screw heads, which I just love for a masculine card. I have had them forever and can't remember where I got them.

Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and thank you for coming to visit! Blessings

Stamps: Wee Henry Fishing (free Hambo digi) - Thank you Hambo, Sentiment was done on computer.

Paper: Indian Summer Fall Stack (DCWV), Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss (GinaK), Solar White (Neenah)

Ink: Vintage Photo (Distress Ink/Ranger), Various colors (Copic)

Accessories: Brads (unknown)

Spring Floral card for Operation Write Home

Hello everyone. I am so happy with the card I created today. I was in a "blue funk" which usually doesn't lend itself to creativity, but today I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps it is because I allowed myself to use the most special "stash" of paper my husband and I purchased during our last visit to Kelly Paper. It is Curious Translucents paper in Kiwi Iridenscents. A little on the expensive side, but just the most gorgeous paper one could ask for. By far, the picture does not do it justice. Yes, I am an addict - I wish there was such a thing as PA - Paper Anonymous because I would love to meet a group of people who would help to enable me!

I am making multiples of this one as most of the work is die cuts and so it is an easy card to make. Since we will have snow all day tomorrow, this will be a great project to work on! What do you think?

Stamps: Spring Florals (GinaK), sentiment (SU)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), B23, B00, YG93 (Copic)

Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Navy Blue ?? (Kelly Paper), Kiwi Iridescents (Curious)

Accessories: Labels 8, Renaissance Hearts Pendant (Spellbinders), Birds and Swirls Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug)

Ribbon: No Name (Wal-Mart) on sale

Birthday Card for Our Niece

Here is a birthday card I created for our niece, Tanya. I do have to say I enjoyed using glitter as a change of pace! I don't think you can tell, but the card is quite dimensional as the butterfly and the flowers are put on with dimensional glue dots and the ribbon is very thick because of the pearls woven into it so I will have to put it in a mailer to send it to her. The butterfly is encrusted with Stickles! I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I did making it!

Stamps: Butterfly from Wonderful Wings (Stampin Up); Sentiment (Our Daily Bread), Flowers (Technique Tuesday)

Ink: Butterfly embossed with Metallic Copper (Judikins), Butterfly BV02, BV04 and flowers C01, R11, Y08, Heavenly White (Twinkling H2Os)

Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Grey Speckled (Kelly Paper)

Accessories: Star Dust Glitter (Stickles), Braidnpearl Ribbon (Offray)

Operation Write Home S&S Challenge #4

Thanks to Kathy R. for the great sketch! Today it will reach 70 degrees with patches of snow still on the ground so I had my head firmly implanted (no pun intended) in Spring and thinking about the gardens. Here is the result:

Stamps: Hello Spring (Stampin'Up) (discontinued)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Pretty in Pink (SU), Y02, Y08, RV25, Rv23, YG03 (Copic)

Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Luxury Stack (DCWV)

Ribbon: No Name (Wal-Mart) on sale

Some quilling for my daughter's wedding

As I had indicated earlier this week, here are some of the items I made for my daughter's wedding. Everything is made of either 1/4" or 1/8" wide strips of pearlized paper that are 24" long. All of the flowers and leaves are handmade and the bells are made from the paper as well. The colors for the wedding were olive and ivory and I can honestly say I never got tired of working with these colors. I hope you enjoy viewing my quilling and please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

This was the topper for the wedding cake.

These are the small votives. I made 65 of these!

This is the memorial candle for some very special people in the kid's lives.This is the large votive. It stood 13 inches tall and I made 20 of these.