Category Archives: Challenges
- Stamp – Hero Arts – “Year Round Sentiments”
- Patterned papers – Heidi Swapp “Favorite Things” 6 X 6″ paper pad
- Stickers – Heidi Swapp
- Cardstock – Bazzill
- Embossing powder – Stampendous Detail White
So it is yet another National Scrapbook Weekend. I have a great interest in making lovely scrapbook pages; I take many photos that fill up my computer hard drive, Dropbox, Snapfish, etc. But there is always something especially daunting to me about creating scrapbooks. I want a really large block of time to do it, and I just don’t have that in my life right now! So cardmaking is really for me! I like the small format of a card, I like the fact that I can give them to friends and family, and I really like to donate as many cards as I can to Operation Write Home.
There are a few of us who make cards for Operation Write Home who call ourselves “Rebels with a Cause” during National Scrapbooking Day. We rebel and make cards instead of scrapbook pages. Yep, that’s pretty serious stuff! So this year, my rebel card is this birthday card. I absolutely love the simplicity of this sketch: Sketch 291 from Clean & Simple Stamping. I’d like to use this one some more! I embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder so that it stood out a bit more. Thanks for visiting today and observing my rebellious side!
3 Comments | tags: cardmaking, clean and simple stamping, Heidi Swapp, stamping | posted in Birthday, Challenges, Clean & Simple, OWH
- Stamp – Hero Arts – Operation Write Home “You’re Always in my Heart” set
- Patterned papers – Basic Grey Hipster Collection: “neato,” “fab,” and “radical.”
- Arrow sticker – Basic Grey Hipster Collection stickers
- Cardstock – Bazzill
- Wood Tape – BARC – “Cherry”
I created this card for the Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown Challenge: Masculine “Thinking of You” card. I wanted to use some of the new (to me) papers I just found at Tuesday Morning—marked way down! I’ve always been a fan of Basic Grey, so these were right up my alley. Then I threw in some of the new wood tape I found. I made up a sketch that would accommodate several patterns and away I went. I inked the edges of all of the pieces to create a visual separation. Thanks for stopping by today.
2 Comments | tags: basic grey, cardmaking, Hero Arts, stamping | posted in Challenges, General Cards, OWH
- Stamp – Hero Arts “Everyday Sayings”
- Patterned Paper – We R Memory Keepers “Winter Frost Collection: Frost”
- Dies – Memory Box “Valerian Flourish” and Spellbinders Nestabilities “Labels Nine” and “Standard Circles Large”
- Black Pearls – KaiserCraft
- Cardstock – WorldWin and Bazzill
I really like to use the color gray in design. It is a neutral with so many possibilities. This week’s CAS-ual Friday challenge (CFC129) is to use at least two shades of gray in a clean and simple project. I have used several different colors of gray (one silver-y gray!) cardstock and there are grays in the patterned paper also. I gave this card to my husband for our 20th wedding anniversary, which we celebrated yesterday. Thanks for stopping by.
1 Comment | tags: cardmaking, clean and simple stamping, die cuts, Hero Arts, memory box, spellbinders | posted in Anniversary, CAS-ual Fridays, Challenges
- Digital image – Doodle Pantry “Nutty for You”
- Stamps – Stampendous “Tiny Acorns” and Simon Says Stamp “Giving Thanks”
- Patterned paper – Doodlebug Designs Kraft in Color 6 X 6″ pad
- Cardstock – Bazzill
It was fun to create this card using Sketch #125 at Freshly Made Sketches. I must admit though, such a simple sketch almost made designing it more difficult! I got to use a squirrel image, which is always a plus! I colored this guy from Doodle Pantry with Copic markers, along with the little acorn stamped images. After fussy cutting them, I popped-up both the squirrel and the acorns with a little bit of dimensional adhesive. It will be a great OWH card for a child. Thanks for visiting today.
3 Comments | tags: cardmaking, copics, digital stamps, fauna, Simon Says Stamp, stampendous, stamping | posted in Challenges, Digital image, Freshly Made, Love
- Patterned papers – Heidi Grace “Sunshowers” 8 X 8″ paper pad
- Stamp – Printworks “Thank You”
- Border punch – Stampin’ Up “Scallop Edge”
- Rhinestones – Queen & Company – Irredescent
I really liked this sketch from Freshly Made Sketches: #124. I used it to feature three different patterned papers from the same collection for this card. I edged the paper pieces with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink to add a little definition to the edges. I am making a few Thank You cards for my Operation Write Home box, since that is a popular sentiment for the troops to use when sending a card. Thanks for visiting today.
2 Comments | tags: cardmaking, flora, stamping | posted in Challenges, Freshly Made, OWH, Thank You
- Patterned papers – Crate Paper “Paper Heart Collection: Define (both sides) and Cupid (both sides)
- Twine – American Crafts
- Bling – Queen and Co. “Twinkle Goosebumps”
- Kraft cardstock – Paper Accents
This is a simple Valentine consisting of punched circles from patterned paper. I added some twine and some sparkly, dimensional “stones” in the centers of the folded circle embellishments. The Shopping Our Stash weekly challenge is to use something shiny, sparkly, glittery, etc. This card was a little understated without the bling, so I think the sparkle did it some good! Thanks for stopping by today.
1 Comment | tags: clean and simple stamping, fancy folds, paper piecing | posted in Challenges, Shopping Our Stash
- Stamp – Unknown (Someone stamped this for me and I can’t remember the details!)
- Patterned papers – My Mind’s Eye Collectable papers: Unforgettable “You Are” Charm Paper and Remarkable “Beautiful” Grace Paper
- Border punch – Martha Stewart Embossed Zig Zag Edger
- Copic markers
- Cardstock – Bazzill
I am in a bunny phase now. I’m making a number of Operation Write Home cards featuring bunnies. Not necessarily Easter cards, because that limits their use to just that holiday. But bunnies are Spring-y and cute and I guess I have a fair number in my stash. Today I used the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches, which is Sketch #122. I unearthed a couple of these bunnies stamped off for me. I don’t know the origin of this stamp, so if anyone can enlighten me, I’d appreciate it. I colored him and his carrot with Copic markers and layered him so he’d stand out. I chose some hexagon patterned paper for a backdrop and will add him to the OWH Midweek Throwdown Hexagon Challenge from last week. Thanks for stopping by.
2 Comments | tags: cardmaking, copics, my mind's eye | posted in Challenges, Freshly Made, General Cards, OWH
Stamps – Verve Stamps “Bunny Shake”
Stencil – The Crafter’s Workshop “Hexagons”
Distress Inks – Ranger: Tumbled Glass, Milled Lavendar, Seedless Preserves
Copic Markers
Cardstock – Paper Accents
Today I’m using hexagons for the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps Midweek Throwdown Challenge to use hexagons on a card. Hexagons have gotten to be a pretty popular shape for stamps, stencils, die cuts, etc. I applied Distress Inks with a sponge applicator using a stencil with various sizes of hexagons for the background. I’ve had this bunny stamp for a long time, but I haven’t ever used him. I colored him very simply with Copic markers. Since I wanted to make him shake (had to do it!), I popped him up with a skinny paper accordian. Now he shakes! The sentiment was part of this stamp set. Thanks for visiting today.
1 Comment | tags: cardmaking, crafter's workshop, distress techniques, stencils, Verve Stamps | posted in Challenges, General Cards, OWH
- Stamps – from Hero Arts “Year Round Sentiments”
- Patterned papers – Echo Park “Happy Camper” and “Call of the Wild” and Pebbles “Lakeside: Canoe”
This is another entry in the CardBowl challenges at Operation Write Home (OWH) Stars and Stamps this weekend. This card was based on OWH Sketch #210 and has kind of a star theme. I used constellation paper and stamped stars from the Hero Arts OWH set from a couple of years ago. It also follows an outdoor theme, so it fits well with the challenge at Shopping Our Stash Cabin Fever Challenge #136 for an outdoors-y card. I dug around in my patterned papers for this one! Thanks for visiting.
1 Comment | tags: clean and simple stamping, echo park, Hero Arts, stamping | posted in Challenges, OWH, Shopping Our Stash
- Stamp – Hero Arts “A Very Special Birthday”
- Die – Spellbinders Nestabilities “Deckled Rectangles Large”
- Patterned papers – Canvas Corp. “Chocolate & Kraft Diamonds” and “Chocolate and Kraft Mini Dot”
- Cardstock – Bazzill
This is an Operation Write Home card for the Our Daily Bread February Challenge. The challenge was to make a masculine card featuring the color brown. This is a very clean and simple card with some distress ink on the sentiment. Thanks for visiting.
1 Comment | tags: die cuts, Hero Arts, spellbinders | posted in Birthday, Challenges, Distress Techniques, OWH
penguinpapers 