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.

HEROES, PROTECTORS, AND BRAVE HEARTS

If you arrived here from the Smiles for Everyone! blog by Stampin Sher then you are at the right place. I have known Stampin Sher over 20 years, and her blog name really does reflect who she is - a great person with an infectious smile and - she is that special person who started me stamping!

If you arrived here from anywhere else, you may wish to go here to the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps website to get all the information and begin the Memorial Day Bloghop from the beginning.

Thank you for spending a few moments with me on my blog and please do feel free to leave a comment. For each comment, I will make and donate two (2) cards to OWH for our heroes. I did complete the 232 cards representing the fabulous 116 comments you left at the Spring Blog Hop and am hoping and praying for a new record of at least 125 comments or 250 cards pledged! The reality is I had a total hip replacement yesterday (Friday, the 28th and will be in the hospital over the Memorial Day weekend, (but through the use of modern technology, I can still post for today) and the one thing I will be able to do during my 4-6 week recovery period is make cards. YES! As long as I can craft paper, I am a happy camper.

My Father-in-law, Rolleston Fox (below) was a Navy CB (Construction Battalion) during World War II. The CeeBee's are always the first soldiers to land on foreign soil and would make things ready for the rest of the troops who would follow creating roads, bridges, camps, etc.

My father, Harry Salzman, was not permitted to join the service as they discovered he had a punctured eardrum. When I first heard this story, I asked why that would prevent him from enlisting. The answer: nerve gas was commonly used on the battlefield and while a gas mask prevented the nerve gas from getting into the respiratory system through the nose and mouth, the gas would flow through the puncture in the eardrum and into the soldier’s system resulting in death. My father was heartbroken he could not enlist and decided he would move from New York to California to work in the shipyards. Good thing too, because that’s where my Mom was! I wish I could include a picture of Daddy, but sadly there are none that I know of from that time in his life. Daddy is, above all people, my biggest hero!

I know I have written about this before, but those who support our troops, however they do that, could be called our modern day Rosie the Riveters. And to all who support our soldiers through Operation Write Home or any other way that you might find, I salute you too!

Now I have the extreme pleasure of directing you to a person I consider "a heroine, a friend, and very talented artist". Sandy, our fearless leader from Operation Write Home can be found here at her blog A Colourful World . I am sure you will enjoy her blog very much!

Card recipe: I did all of the words with the computer, printing them in red and navy blue on Neenah solar white cardstock. The other papers are from Gina K in Rocket Red and In the Navy. The lace edges are done with a paper edger by Martha Stewart. On the white punched strip, I have poked my red and blue Copic markers through the holes from the back side. The holographic strip and red heart brads are from my stash.

SEALED WITH A KISS (SWAK)

I really enjoy spending a Sunday afternoon making a card for the Stars and Stripes Sketch Challenges!
Here is Lora's sketch:
This card was a real departure from the colors I usually use. I found 2 half sheets of the base card stock in some of my stuff. I am pretty sure it is Stampin Up Taken with Teal and instantly wanted to do something with it. It is a retired color now - what a shame! I combined it with some of my new DCWV Linen Closet DP. Yum, yum!

Also, I wanted to remind everyone who might read this about Operation Write Home's Memorial Day Bloghop on May 29. If you would like more information, simply click on the Badge at the top right-hand side of my blog page. Blessings and thank you for spending a bit of your time on my blog.


Stamps: Unknown (PSX); SWAK (Great Greetings Stampin UP)
Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Linen Closet (DCWV) Taken with Teal (Stampin Up)
Ink: Taken with Teal (Stampin Up); C1, R32, Y08, Y06, RV25, R24, YG05, B00, B23,
Yellow At You Spica

OWH Sketch Challenge #16

Hi and thanks for stopping by. I haven't had the opportunity to participate in a sketch challenge in some time, so I am very happy to have a card to offer this morning. Thanks Vieve for such a great starting point and inspiration!
The sketch:
I just purchased some DP titled Linen Closet by DCWV (although one can hardly see the example used) and I am quite enamored with the entire collection. Many of you will recognize the digi image that Fred, She Said donated to S&S just before our Spring Bloghop. By the way, if you haven't signed up for the Memorial Day Blog Hop at the end of this month, just go to the top right hand side of my blog and click - viola, you will be taken to OWH's Bloghop sign-up page. I can't tell you in words how much I enjoyed the last one and how much I am looking forward to the upcoming one!

Stamp: Tulip Digi Stamp (Fred, She Said)
Paper: DP is Linen Closet; Kraft Card Stock (Stampin' Up), Solar White (Neenah)
Ink: Forest Green (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Ribbon (Wal-Mart), Corner Rounding Punch

A FLOWER FOR YOU. . .

I don't know why, but I found this navy blue card so appealing. It is my first card using buttons - yes, I resisted using buttons on a card as long as I could. . .

There is something about buttons I don't like. I don't know what it is and even after really thinking about it, I am still not sure why. I wonder if I am resistant because it is yet another embellishment to have a collection of! I will have to have different sizes, different colors, different shapes, etc. To me, there is nothing worse than wanting to use a certain embellishment and can't because I don't have just the perfect one to use. That was my greatest frustration too, when I started stamping. I would get this great idea and not be able to implement it; haven't we all experienced that one? Then I have to wonder if the card is so appealing to me because it has a new element I've not used before. Life is filled with wonderful mysteries!

Stamps: Beautiful Blossoms (JustRite)
Paper: Near East (DCWV) In the Navy (Gina K)
Ink: YG05, Y02, Y06, Y08, YG93, YG95, B23, B00
Accessories: Buttons, Oval Die (Spellbinder); Opaline String (Stash)

WHEW - COMPLETED: 232-CARD CHALLENGE FROM SPRING BREAK BLOG HOP

I completed my Spring Break Blog Hop Challenge of making two cards for each comment left by all of you on my blog. That was 116 comments for a total of 232 cards, AND I finished just in time for the Memorial Day Blog Hop at the end of this month!

The Spring Break Blog Hop was my first and I am very much looking forward to Memorial Day! Who knows what you might find as a challenge this time! Here is a not so great picture of all of them on a towel on the living room floor! I realized after I started this that it was not a good position for my hip, so I sort of put them down there, took the picture, and asked my husband to pick them up. He is so good to me!

Have a great week filled with good things. Blessings,

I'VE BEEN THINKING OF YOU. . .

I have been thinking of all of you, especially those who visit my blog regularly, as I have not posted in several days. I have been under the weather, and as well, I am trying to get things ready for a total hip replacement which will be done on the 28th of this month, God willing! I know I am!

I really like this simple card. You may not be able to see the detail, but the DP has an Asian bent, which I really like, both in design and colors. The flower is pre-made from Gina K (I always feel like I am cheating when I use pre-made flowers, but I wasn't feeling well) and the leaves are little scrap pieces from using the Spellbinders Fleur De Lis template. These little pieces make the most perfect embossed leaves and you get many of them each time you use the die. If you are not cutting green paper, Copic Markers come in very handy!

Stamps: Thinking of You (Stampin Up);
Paper: Classic Crest (Neenah), Far East (DCWV), Fresh Asparagus (Gina K);
Ink: Mellow Moss (Stampin Up), R59 on flower (Copic);
Accessories: Spellbinder dies, bulk half pearls

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,