OWH Sketch Challenge #73

Hello everyone and welcome today to my blog. This card is make for the Operation Write Home Sketch Challenge, shown here:

And here is my card:

The DP is K&Co Ancestry (I think); CS is Cranberry Tart from Gina K; the Spellbinder die is Parisian Accents and Petite Ovals; the rest is from my stash.

We are finally getting some warm weather so I am trying to spend a little time outside in the garden. I hope you will have a wonderful week filled with all good things! Blessings,
                                                                                           

Craft It Forward Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to my blog today. I am happy to participate in the Craft It Forward Blog Hop today on behalf of Operation Write Home. If you would like to start the Hop from the beginning, click here. This is a fun blog hop which invites you to make a card or two and donate them to an organization such as Operation Write Home. I know where mine is going!!!!

The card stock is from Gina K and is Lipstick Red and In the Navy; the embossing folder and the sentiment are Stampin Up; the die cut is Spellbinders; the rhinestones from my stash.

Happy Hopping! Blessings,  

OWH MWT Using Green and Purple

The Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown Challenge is for a card that is green and purple. Oddly enough, I have been working on a set of these cards for sometime now and the MWT was just the inspiration I needed to complete this project:

The paper is Gina K Ivory and Chocolate Kiss; the metallic green paper is by Curious Papers and is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. The image is by Gina K also and colored with Copics with some pearls from my stash. This is a very easy card to do.

I think these will make great cards for our heroes. Hope you are having a wonderful week. Blessings,                                                     
                                                                             

IT IS SNOWING TODAY and I am crafting! OWH Sketch Challenge 71

IF YOU ARE ON THE OWH MEMORIAL DAY BLOG HOP, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN A  LITTLE TO SEE MY ENTRY!

Who can believe that it would snow on Memorial Day weekend when we are supposed to be barbequing, but here is the picture taken from my craft  area window earlier today! That "foggy, blurry" look is snow falling through the air! Can you believe it? At 5:30 this morning, I was outside in my robe taking down my hanging baskets of flowers and pulling in the flats of petunias to be planted this afternoon. Since that is not going to happen, it is time to craft!

 

Here is today's sketch:

and here is my card:

The flower is a digi stamp being offered as a Dollar Digi for $1.00 at Stretch and Bubbles. I colored it with Copics and used brown Liquid Applique in the center. It was a fun digi to work with, it was easy to do, and I feel like I ended up with a beautiful flower. The CS is Gina K Designs Sweet Corn, Cranberry Tart, and Black Onyx; the DP is from the Best of  K&Co collection. The ribbon is from my stash.

Here's hoping you have a really wonderful week!
                                                                                 

OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop

 
WELCOME! So happy to have you visit! If you have come from Susan's blog, sbartist: painting in the dark, you are in the right place! If not, go to the badge above and click on it to go to the very beginning of our Operation Write Home Memorial Day Blog Hop.This day we remember with compassion those who have died serving their country and keeping us free.

I wanted this card I created to be special for the blog hop, so it is a little more "fussy" than I usually would design and make. Here are highlights: The metallic gold paper is "Good as Gold" from Gina K Designs. The embossed background is done with a Stampin Up embossing folder called Victorian Wallpaper. To give it very subtle shadows, I applied metallic gold ink to the inside of the folder with a brayer before running it through my Big Shot. The flowers are made from a Spellbinders die cut called "Posy" sold through Heartfelt Creations. The punched leaves are sprayed with pearl Glitter Mist. The sentiment is gold embossed using Just Rite's Hugs to You set. I think that about covers it, but if you have any questions, please feel free to email me!

Hope you are having fun!!! Next on our hop is the very talented 
Lisa at Paper Grace Designs.

Blessings,

OWH Sketch #70

Good morning everyone! This Sunday's sketch challenge from OWH was a fun one. At first I pondered what I would use as a focal point and then I remembered I had purchased die cuts to make a big flower which I have been wanting to try for sometime. 

Here is the sketch:

 and here is my creation:

The DP is from DCWV's Linen Closet; the cardstock is Gina K Designs Turquoise Sea; the leaves cut with a Sissix die cut from unknown cardstock scrap; Spellbinder's Posy Patch dies from Heartfelt Creations; and some brads from my stash. I like that the flower has dimension, but will still go into an envelope and look good when it comes out of the envelope at its destination.

Here's wishing for a wonderful week for you. Don't forget the OWH MEMORIAL DAY BLOG HOP is next weekend! Blessings,
                                          

OWH MWT with Heart Song Designs

My card today is for the Operation Write Home Mid-Week Throwdown sponsored by Heart Song Designs and my image is one of their new releases called Pansy Frame. They have soooo many terrific images to choose from! Click on the link above and go check it out.

The saying on the card comes from a rather dumb computer game I have been playing lately, but somehow it struck a chord with me and I thought it was a perfect for the Heart Song digi.  The paper is Gina K Designs - Vibrant Violet and Lovely Lavender; the butterfly image is from the Wonderful Wings set by Stampin Up (You know how you pick up an old set and get hooked on it all over again!) and colored with Copics as is the digi image.

The weather has turned cold and stormy the past couple of days - we even had some snow yesterday! I am all ready to plant my flower boxes and hanging baskets, but I would ask how does one do that when it is still snowing? Well, at least I have everything ready to go - the soil is fertilized and loosened up after the winter. Come on Mother Nature!

Have a great one! Blessings and love,

                                                                  

My Dog Ate My Homework!

Oh my! Having a puppy can be challenging at times. Charlie now is "house broken" and thanks be to God for that, but he still loves to jump onto my chair to get on top my desk and "explore" the many interesting and wonderful things that abound there. As a result, he has trained me to push my chair under the desk each time I get up. What I had not anticipated is he would figure out how to go under my desk, push my chair out and jump up on it and then onto my desk. Here is the result! My card from the OWH sketch challenge on Sunday is in ruin! But boy puppies will be boy puppies! He really does have a thing for paper - hmmmm - wonder where he got that from!


Not a great picture, but what does it matter?

Good thing he is soooo cute and I love him soooo much! 

 

Hope your week is being wonderful! Blessings,

Congrats and Challenges

First, my fond congratulations to Operation Write Home for sending its one millionth card to our deployed heroes. My congratulations also to all those who made cards and contributed them to OWH. If you haven't seen it yet, there is a really great video entitled "Thanks a Million" which gives one some perspective on how many cards that really is. Go HERE to see it. I am thankful to be a part of this in a miniscule way and I think Blessed Mother Theresa would approve!

I am also pleased to return to blogging and being more active with my passion of crafting with paper. Today, it is OWH's Sketch #69 and MFP's Speedy the Cat Friend's Challenge #55. For MFP's challenge, the card should be monochromatic blues. 

Here is what the OWH sketch looks like:

And here is my card:

The color is washed out but hopefully you get the idea. The DP is from DCWV's Luxury stack. The butterfly is from Stampin Up's Wonderful Wing set and colored with Copics; the sentiment is from my computer on a Spellbinder's die cut. The ribbon is french blue Stampin Up grosgrain ribbon and the clear embellishment underneath the ribbon (don't know if you can see it) is from K & Company. The pearls and gold wire for the butterfly's antennae are from my stash.

Thanks for coming by and again congratulations to all who help make the one millionth card possible! Blessings on your week! 

                                                             

Outside of the Box . . .

I know it has been a century (or it seems) since I last posted, but sometimes life just gets in the way of my paper crafting. Some really wonderful things have happened - purchasing a Cricut being one of them. I have started the journey to learn how to really get the most from my machine by reading a lot and playing some with it. Hopefully, I will be able to take my creativity and creations to the next level!

Another thing I have been working on is making boxes of cards to give as gifts as I have several occasions coming up which this will make a perfect gift. I forgot to photograph the first one I made but here is another of the boxes I am making:

 

The base of the box is made from Stampin' Up cardstock, which I am pretty sure is Orchid Opulence. The lid of the box is from Gina K cardstock called Wine with Everything. It is a very rich, rich burgundy color which I just love. The flowers are made from Spellbinders dies from Heartfelt Creations (I love their stamps!!) from their Posy Patch Precut Collection . There is a stamp that fits the die perfectly, but I chose not to use it this time. They are made from a light-weight, white cardstock and colored with a Merlot Derwent Inktense pencil. This is another new acquisition for me and I cannot begin to tell you how dramatic the results are when you add water to the pigment laid down on the paper with these pencils. I also brushed them with a bit of Egyptian Gold Pearlx mica powder. The centers of the flowers are gold beads from my stash which do not have a hole in them. The leaves are made from an olive green quilling paper left over from my daughter's wedding. The stamp and sentiment are from JustRite stamps newest release and they are just FAB, especially for use for Operation Write Home cards. The coloring of the sentiment is done with Copic markers. The box will fit 6 cards and envelopes even if they have a lot of dimension.  If you want the information on making the box, it can be found here: Split Coast Stampers. It is a very easy box to make especially if you have a Score-Pal.

Hope you are having a creative and fun week. It is nice to go outside and not feel like we are at the North Pole! Blessings,

Missed . . .

I had a few minutes to play and felt it might be WAY past time to do the Sketch Challenge, so this is what the creative self came up with. I am so thankful there are some glimmers of spring here on the mountain - the buds on the lilacs and the silver maples are getting huge like they are ready to burst forth, although I know they have a couple of months yet.

I don't know where the image, which is colored with Copics, is from (so what else is new). The DP is from best of K & Company (my favorite right now); the cardstock is Cranberry Tart by Gina K, the sentiment is colored with a Copic marker used in the daisy so it would match, the punch is a Martha Stewart; and the ribbon and blue pearls are from my stash.

Hope you enjoy your visit here to my blog. If you haven't yet, scroll down to see the cuteness exude from your screen! Blessings,

WE HAVE A NEW BABY . . .

I have been so missing-in-action lately, but I have been having lots of fun. I would like you to meet the newest member of our family - Charlie. Charlie is three months old and has a French Bulldog Daddy and an English Bulldog Mommie. His coat is a handsome brindle and he is such a cute little fur-baby with his pushed-in face. He is teething right now so he must be watched every minute. He has several teething toys, but he still likes things he definitely shouldn't chew on. He is so inquisitive and loves to examine things for a minute then run and pounce on them with all four legs in the air. I think he will make a great Frisbee dog! Here is our new baby:

I hope you enjoyed meeting Charlie and I hope you have a very crafty day! Blessings,

OWH MID-WEEK THROWDOWN

Hello and welcome to my blog everyone! I am so pleased to have made this card for Operation Write Home's Midweek Throwdown challenge. I love cards that are white on white with a pop of color and this card is no exception.

The stamp is a new one for me from Heartfelt Creations and this has turned out to be a very versatile stamp set and one of my favorites. It is the Hydrangea/Posy Branch set. I have noticed there are several companies that are making stamps that are compatible with Spellbinders dies and Heartfelt Creations is one of them which I think is "a good thing" as Martha would say. The paper is White and Vibrant Violet Pure Luxury cardstock from Gina K. I did the coloring with Copic markers and used a Cuttlebug embossing plate for the background. The die cut is Spellbinders and the sentiment is Stampin' Up (I don't know what set it is from as I purchased it as an individual stamp from eBay for less than a dollar, but it is from 1992.) The ink is also from SU and is called Lavender Lace; the pearls on the sentiment are from my stash.

Hope you all enjoy the card as much as I enjoyed making it! Feel free to leave me a comment if you like the card! Blessings,
 

CROSS CARD

I have been wanting to make this card for a very long time as I have had the die cuts for months. The card was made, along with a dozen more, for friends who have a Christian band called "One in Him". They lead the music for the Christian Hot Rod Association's Sunday morning worship services each time there is a meet. This involves a lot of traveling and getting to know folks from all over the United States. I wanted to somehow help out with their ministry and this is where I was led. I think it will make a very nice note card to send with a word of inspiration, encouragement, or thanks. What do you think?

 It is a very quick card to make as the dies can be cut with one pass and there is no stamping or coloring! The dies are from Spellbinders; the DP is from the Best of K&Company; the cardstock is Ivory from GinaK; and the embossing folder is from Cuttlebug. I did gently sand the DP to have the embossing show up nicely.


Please come back and visit again! Blessings,

FAREWELL . . . and there is a card in here somewhere!!!

Farewell to 2010 and a welcome to 2011!

It has been a good year for the Fox family. The only real downside was the loss of our beloved fur-person Brigit in November. She was a sweet, funny, stubborn, wonderful friend and we love and miss her so much.

Here are some pictures taken at church at Christmas of my DH Chuck and Mom, my special 94-year-old MIL.

This year Chuck learned to play the guitar and as he is the Cantor at church, he can now sing and play the guitar which comes in handy when both of the keyboard players are not available. While he has a musical background (he was a concert trumpet player in his younger days), his progress at playing has been quite remarkable to me. He is also training for his second California Coast Classic this coming September. This is a bicycle tour from the San Francisco Pier to the Santa Monica Pier over 8 days and 500 miles to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. He will make this ride just after his 70th birthday!!!

Mom crocheted over 2,000 afghan squares this year for Warm Up America! along with 10 or 12 complete afghans and wheelchair lap blankets. These go to disaster stricken areas, battered women's shelters, homeless, etc. Mom has crafted most of her life and we have so many lovely things around the house that she made. She is an inspiration to me that I might continue to do God's work regardless of my age and maybe even through my passion of paper crafting.

 

As for me, my most important accomplishment was creating over 850 cards for Operation Write Home. Many of them are posted on my blog which I started in February of this year. I have made many new friends and increased my stamping knowledge (and stash) by leaps and bounds! I underwent a total hip replacement due to osteoarthritis and have a hip that is as good and functional as when I was a teenager. This has allowed me to begin walking in a serious way and so far I have lost 25 pounds!

All in all it has been a great year for us!

Now for what will be my final cards for the year. I made several of these as I do almost all of my cards. It was a fun card to make and I just loved the DP which came from the Best of K Collection. The stamp is from Cherry Blossom by Flourishes. The ink color is More Mustard and the sentiment from Sincere Situations is by Stampin' Up.

I thank all of you for your continual support and inspiration. A special thanks to Sandy of Operation Write Home and her team who work so hard for our heroes and to create a fun, informative, and inspirational environment for all of us stampers.

And last, but certainly not least, I wish for all of you great peace and joy in this coming year.

ALL ABOUT THE BOYZ

So glad the Holiday Vacation Challenge #6 at OWH was extended until Sunday evening. Kudos to Eric Dull for his darling digi. I had some time this afternoon and wanted to play, so here goes:

I especially love this image because when our beloved French Bulldog Brigit was alive, we would put her Doggles (dog goggles) on her and she would jump in the child's trailer behind Chuck's bicycle and we would all go for a ride! She absolutely loved riding and feeling the air and smelling the smells, but her eyes were protected by the Doggles so they didn't water. She looked so, so cute in them and everyone who saw her would always have this wonderful smile on their face!

Hope all of you are having a wonderful and blessed Christmas day! Blessings,

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

Our family wishes for you the blessings of this Holy Night when the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated! God is with us.

Louise , Chuck and Mom

VALENTINE BLAST CARD

When I looked at the design of this card, I didn't know if I liked it or not as it seemed to "blast" my eyes with red and white, but Mom and my DH Chuck both quickly said they liked it. Now they don't say that about all of my cards in the initial design stage, so I do trust them.

It is a very quick and easy card to make as there is no stamping or Copics involved - just a Martha Stewart paper punch, a Spellbinder die set, some Gina K paper and some ribbon. I did the sentiment on the computer and printed it in red.

I am not sure if I can post twice for the Midweek Throwdown, but I will give it a try. Have a wonderful week and a blessed Christmas everyone.

WILL YOU BE MINE?

I am happy to see the Midweek Throwdown from Operation Write Home is a Valentine card as that is what I am working on right now! Good timing Jan! 

Once again I do not have the artist who this digital image came from. I am so much better at this now than I was when I first began using "digis". The title is Love Buds so if anyone knows, I will be appreciative if you would leave a comment. The sentiment is printed on the computer at the same time as the digital image, which makes it a very easy - and I think - clean and simple card which could be sent to a spouse or a child. I colored everything with Copics. After the card was photographed, I decided to add coloring to the red hearts with a Red Star Gelly Roll by Sakura. It really gives it a nice pop! Sorry I didn't have the time to re-photograph the card.

I wish you sweet blessings this week and I hope you have a little time to catch a breath and look at all the beauty around us this holiday season!