OWH Midweek Throwdown - Seeing Stars

This week's theme on the OWH blog is SEEING STARS.  I didn't have a lot of time today so tried to keep it CAS and decided to make an Any Hero card.  I die cut a star out of a white layer of cardstock, embossed stars on the layer, attached some DP behind the die cut negative, and adhered the layer to the base card.  I then used a ribbon banner, stamped and embossed "You Rock" on the banner, and attached with dimensionals to pop it up a bit.  Thanks for stopping by today.  Eat, Drink & Be Scary tomorrow!

 

Supplies:

• Neenah Solar White Cardstock
• Doodlebug "Stars & Stripes" Paper Pad
• Sizzix Star Die
• Nestabilities Ribbon Banner Die
• Stamps of Life "all4stars" Stamp Set
• Stephanie Barnard's ColorBox Blueberry Inkpad

OWH Sketch Challenge #196

I put together another Valentines/Love theme card for OWH Sketch Challenge #196 sponsored by Doodle Pantry.  The deadline for Valentines cards is December 31st.  Thanks for stopping by and have a "hap-bee" Monday!

Sketch #196:

 

 

 



Supplies:

• Neenah Solar White Cardstock
• Bazzill "Bee" yellow Cardstock
• Pop Tones' Black Licorice Cardstock
• Cricut Cuttlebug "Honeycomb" Embossing Folder
• The Stamps of Life "hive4bees" stamp set
• Fiskars' small heart punch
• Ribbon from stash jar

OWH Midweek Throwdown - Color Challenge

The Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown is a color challenge using pink and green.  I agree with Allison ~ what a great combination for Valentines/Love cards!  I decided to not use any stamps or inks for this one and went for paper and dies only ~ no special reason - just felt like doing something different.  I think the photos of the two cards I made might be a little dark but it's soooo foggy here.  Literally like pea soup out there.  Thank goodness for the bright colors of this Throwdown to cheer me up :-)  Thanks for visiting and another fantastic challenge!

#1 - Love Banner

 

#2 - Trees of Hearts 

 

 

#1 Supplies:  The Paper Studio "Lola & Luca" Paper Pack, MFT Fishtail Flags dies, Savvy "Love Heart" die, and ribbon from stash. 

 

#2 Supplies:  Martha Stewart Crafts "Enchanted Woodland" Mat Pad, Savvy "Love Heart" die, and a little heart punch (maybe EKSuccess?)

 

 

Best Witches and Friends

Halloween cards are finally finished just in time to mail this weekend.  Yay!  Here are a few of my favorites this year:


 



 

 

 

 

 

 



OWH Sketch Challenge #195

Operation Write Home Sketch #195 was posted yesterday.  I was in the middle of finishing my Halloween cards and desperately needed to de-glitter the desk before starting on the sketch.  As I was lint rolling the dog hair off my black pants, I thought I'd give the lint roller a try on my craft mat.  It worked beautifully and removed all the glitter!!  I'm sure many of you already know about this tip, but I felt like I'd invented electricity!!  LOL!

Anyway, on to the sketch:

I'm always on a black and white kick ~ I just love how clean it looks.  Here's the first card for Valentines Day:

 

Supplies:  Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Pop Tones' Licorice, Bazzill Red Swiss Dots, scrap DP, 

Martha Stewart Scalloped Heart Punch, Hampton Art "Love" stamp, Ranger Perfect Medium, JudiKins White Detail embossing powder, Recollections heart brad.

I changed it up for a shabbier, distressed look for the second one:

Supplies:  Memory Box Kraft Cardstock, DCWV "A Type of Art" Matstack, Sizzix/Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die, EK Success leaf punch, Memory Box button die, floss.

Thanks for stopping by ~ have a great week!

OWH Midweek Throwdown - Snow Much Fun

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...as long as I don't have to drive in it!  The Throwdown this week is to create a snowy card that is not Christmas.  Here are a couple of simple winter cards I put together for OWH ~ bundle up and thanks for visiting!



Supplies:

• Neenah Solar White Cardstock
• Pop Tones' Licorice Cardstock
• Teresa Collins "Christmas Home" 6x6 pad and Recollections Blue Christmas 6x6 pad
• My Favorite Things' Fishtail Flag dies
• Memory Box Frosted Christmas Tree Die
• My Favorite Things' Frosty & Fabulous stamp set
• VersaFine Onyx Black ink
• Buttons, Twine, Holographic stickers and Brads from stash - Michaels/JoAnns

Bokeh Backgrounds

Bokeh (pronounced BOH-kay) is a photography term which describes the appearance, or "feel," of out-of-focus areas.  A lot of my attempts at serious photography come out this way but it is not intentional!  I discovered this great tutorial at splitcoaststampers.com about Bokeh backgrounds and creating card backgrounds that are inspired by this technique.  I couldn't wait to give it a try!  The instructor, Lydia Fielder, describes this technique as "simple" and "dreamy."  I agree! 

Supplies:

• Neenah Solar White Cardstock
• Pop Tone Licorice Cardstock
• DCWV Glitter Cardstock
• VersaFine Onyx Black Ink
• ColorBox Silver and Cranberry Pigment Ink
• Stamps of Life "lights4Christmas" stamps and dies
• Green ribbon from stash

   

OWH Boot Camp - All Things Being Equal

I enjoyed this design lesson very much!  I might be a 75/25 gal - 75% of the cards I make are asymmetrical and the rest symmetrical. This lesson made me think about it!  With this card,  I was going for an asymmetrical look:

 

 

Supplies:  Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Pop Tones Licorice Cardstock, Paper Studio Lola & Luca DP, MFT Fishtail Flags die, Stampabilities sentiment, VersaFine Onyx Black ink, and ribbon/buttons from stash. 

 

I thought I should push myself a bit :-) and try symmetrical so...here's the second card:

 

 

 



Supplies:  Neenah Solar White Cardstock, DCWV Creamy Cardstock stack, MME enamel dots, Sizzix Zig Zag Circle dies, Fiskar's circle punches, VersaFine Onyx Black ink, and sentiment stamp (manufacturer unknown). 

 

Thanks for visiting and special THANKS to Paula for the design lesson! 

 

 



OWH Midweek Throwdown - The Nature of Christmas

The Throwdown this week was to create a card that included something from nature that reminds us of the holidays.  What a fantastic idea!  It conjures up smells of decorations, like evergreens and berries.  Wouldn't scented cardstock be fun?  I had this great DP that I'd hoped to use this season and a die from Memory Box called Winterberry Sprig.  I think they were made for each other :-)  The sentiment is a beautiful combination of solid and script from Technique Tuesday - the photo doesn't really do it justice.  Here's the card...Thanks for visiting!

 

  Supplies:

• Bazzill Ivory Cardstock
• Coredinations Blush Red Cardstock
• American Crafts Kringle and Co. Designer Paper
• Darice Embossing Folder
• Memory Box Winterberry Sprig Die
• Technique Tuesday's Believe stamp set by Ali Edwards
• Versafine Onyx Black Ink
• Recollections Clear Embossing Powder
• Recollections Clear Rhinestones (colored with Copic R37 for red berries) 

 

OWH Sketch Challenge #193

OWH Sketch #193 was posted yesterday.  There are so many different ways you can go with this sketch but I wanted to challenge myself to stay true to the original this time.  I also think this is a great "multiples" sketch!   

 

 

My card is a break from the Christmas card frenzy going on in my craft room.  After finishing, I wished the sentiment was just a tad bit larger but I'll fix that on the next one.  Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Supplies:

• Neenah Solar White Cardstock for base
• Paper Zone Steel Gray Cardstock
• DCWV Performance Cardstock
• Stampendous sentiment
• Versamark watermark ink
• Recollections white fine detail embossing powder
• My Mind's Eye black enamel dots
• Red satin ribbon

  

OWH Midweek Throwdown: Multiply the Fun

I have a really hard time making 2 cards that look the same but I found a solution that works for me.  In my stash I discovered this great patterned paper by Splash of Color (Decked Out Collection) that had vintage-type images, all about the same size, along the bottom of the page. 

Ah ha!  There's at least 5 cards there (I think to myself).  So, I cut out the images and found some background paper that would complement.  Then I used my Fiskars oval punch to cut out the sentiment (Hampton Arts), a shadow layer, and added a bit of ribbon.  I also used Glossy Accents to highlight the ornaments on the tree for some interest.

I think I can make the bonus deadline of October 15th now!  Thanks for visiting and THANK YOU to Allison G. and Pam T. for an awesome Throwdown this week.  It was fun!