Stretch Your Stamps 2 More of Day 1 and 2

Here's a couple more cards from techniques with background stamps from Day 1 and 2 Online Card Class.

This is a technique with the Tim Holtz Reverse Damask Stamp and Gold Perfect Pearls.  Die cuts are from Stampin'Up. 

Using the same stamp, watercolor paper and Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  Really Reasonable Ribbon and Sizzix Leaves #2 Diecuts. 

Happy Crafting!

Donna

OWH Virtual Cardmaking Party Challenges 4 5 and 6

I am also enter the last card in the Moxie Fab World Wonder Words Challenge.  

This weekend Operation Write Home is having a Virtual Cardmaking Party (VCMP).  There's 5 challenges scheduled every 2 hours throughout the day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Lots of goodies to be given away if you play along. 

Challenge 4 is on Lori's Kreations blog.  She asked us to make a Red, White & Blue Birthday card.  Here's my card.

Challenge 5 is on the Bunny Scrap Blog.  She asked us to make our own backgrounds with paint or ink.  I used alcohol ink and a technique I learned on Virgina Lu's blog (Yes, Virginia).  

Challenge 6 is on JoAnn Ross' blog (who is a great author also).  She asked us to make two cards, one Christmas and one Winter type card.  

I used my Envelope Punch Board to make these cute little file folders.  I am also entering these file folders in the Moxie Fab World Wonderful Words Challenge.  

Back later!

Happy Crafting!

Donna

OWH Virtual Cardmaking Party Challenge 2

This weekend Operation Write Home is having a Virtual Cardmaking Party (VCMP).  There's 5 challenges scheduled every 2 hours throughout the day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Lots of goodies to be given away if you play along. 

The second challenge is on Michelle's blog Caffeine & Stamps.  She asked us to make a Thank You card.  Bonus was to use spray inks.  I opted not to use the spray inks.  Here's my card.

I CASEd this from a Pinterest Post but here's the original card.  The stamp set from Stampin'Up! is "Just Sayin" and has framelits to match it.  The background is a thinlits die "Hexagon Hive."

Back with more later!

Happy Crafting!

Donna

This post may contain affiliate links.  If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission.  I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation.  

Watercolor For Cardmakers

Nothing like overloading myself with classes this week.  On top of the Layout a Day class I signed up for the Watercolor for Cardmakers class.  This card is a combination of two techniques from day 1 and day 2.  I used the Vibrant Watercolor Wash from Day 1 along with Jennifer McGuire Watercolor background technique using masking from day 2.  I was running low on artist's tape so I tried to use painter's tape.  I ripped my watercolor paper on one corner.  That's the last time I'll use painter's tape.  Off to buy some more artist's tape.

Simply Sketchy stamp set from Stampin'Up!  Stazon Black Ink.  Really Reasonable Ribbon.  Tim Holtz Distressed ink background.  Artist's Masking Fluid.

Happy Crafting!

Donna

OWH Midweek Throwdown Brown

If you are looking for my House of Cards DT Post please go HERE.  Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown is to create cards using brown as your color scheme.  I created two cards using my treasured Simple Stories "Documented" paper and stickers (no longer being sold).  I loved that paper kit.  Found some more on Ebay so I won't be totally out!

Stamps are Stampin'Up!

Happy Crafting!

Donna

OWH Masculine Any Theme Challenge

The Mid-week throwdown challenge at Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps blog is for a masculine card with any theme (birthday, thanks, miss you, etc.).  I was completing my Stampin'Up Paper Pumpkin kit from March and had one card left over.  I made this CAS nautical type card with the leftover card. And not one stamp was used in this project -- that's amazing for me!

Products used
March Stampin'Up Paper Pumpkin kit
Circle Framelits Dies
Circle Card Thinlits Die (thx and chevrons)
Banner Punch (retired)
Coastal Cabana Cardstock
Crisp Cantaloupe Cardstock
Crisp Canataloupe twine (retired)

Happy Crafting
Donna

Doodle Pantry Sketch Challenge

The sketch challenge at the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps blog is being sponsored by Doodle Pantry this week.  I am not very good at using digital images but I pulled out a few of my Doodle Pantry images and made this card.

Designer paper, sentiment and image are from the Doodle Pantry "Old Watch" set.  Ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  Candy Dots are from Stampin'Up!

Two-fer Challenges

I managed to squeeze two challenges into one card today.  The Operation Write Home Sketch #216 and the Words 2 Scrap By Challenge #3:  And the Oscars go to. . .  The Words 2 Scrap By Challenge had four quotes from famous movies to choose from.  I chose "The stuff that dreams are made of."  (The Maltese Falcon, 1941). 

I used a retired Stampin'Up! set called Dreams du jour.   All ink and paper are Stampin'Up!

Here is the OWH Sketch I used.  

The Words 2 Scrap By Challenge ends on 21 March and there is a nice prize for the winner of the challenge.  The OWH Sketch is open for posting anytime.  

Happy Crafting!

Donna

Club Scrap Boot Camp Challenge Week 2

Club Scrap is having and Assembly Line Boot Camp Challenge on their blog.  This week is torn paper.  For every link on the page they will donate 10 cents to Operation Write Home!  Here is my card for the challenge.  I used the July 2013 Club Scrap Wisteria Kit.  Your entry can be a card, layout or digital but must include at least 50% Club Scrap materials.

This is a die cut from the embellishment kit.  The background stamp is En Francais from Stampin'Up.  Ink is Tim Holtz Distressed. Cardstock and Ribbon is also from the Club Scrap Embellishment Kit. Want to play along and don't have any Club Scrap material?  You don't have to join to order from their website but you get a discount if you are a kit subscriber.   Tell them I sent you!

Happy Crafting!

Donna

House of Cards February Challenge

Here is my Classic & Elegant card for the February Challenge over at the House of Cards.  My foot is still not healed from the broken bone and I still can't walk on it for three more weeks.  So attempting to make this card was a real challenge. Not only to get down the stairs in my craft room (going down on my rear end) but also moving around from paper stash to cutter, cutter to big shot, etc.  It was a slow process.  The minute I saw the gorgeous Sale-A-Bration free paper from Stampin'Up!  I knew I was going to use it for this challenge.  It is called Sweet Sorbet and you can get it free with a $50 purchase from Stampin'Up!

The flowers are from the Stampin'Up Secret Garden Stamp Set and they have a matching framelit set to cut them out. I stamped on vellum with black ink and heat embossed them with clear.  I then sponged the back of the flowers with Pool Party and Crisp Cantalope ink.  The only way to attach them is with glossy accents.  Nothing else would stick to the back.  I used the new Banner Framelit Dies to make my banner.  The oval is Spellbinders Lacy Oval.  The white oval in the center of the lacy oval is stamped with the PPetal Parade Stamp set, another free item you can get with a $50 order from Stampin'Up!  The Crisp Cantalope twine is another free item during Sale-A-Bration.  Lots of cute stuff!

Come join in over at House of Cards Challenge Blog for the Clean & Simple, or Classic and Elegant card challenge.  It is a photo/color challenge.  You can be inspired by the photo or use the colors to make a Clean&Simple (CAS) card or a Classic&Elegant card!

Happy Crafting!

Donna

Valentine's Day Card

Just when I have time to really get back to crafting after the wedding --BAM!  I broke a bone in my right foot on Friday falling off a curb.  Lucky I don't need surgery (it was a close call) but I am in a boot and cannot walk on it for six weeks.  I have been getting around in my ranch style house on a wheeled walker.  I put my right knee on the seat and wheel myself around with my left foot.  The big problem is my craft room is in my basement.  I have finally worked out a solution to get down the stairs.  I go down on my rear end.  At the bottom of the stairs I have a rolling office chair to wheel me around in.  Going up the stairs is another story requiring great arm strength to lift myself up to each step and sit on it.  Very tiring.  Makes me appreciate greatly our veterans who have to do this every day because they have lost a leg.  Today I did manage to get downstairs and actually make a card.  I have been viewing a lot of You Tube videos in my boredom, and this one caught my eye from Stamp and Scrap with Frenchie.  She used the new Stampin'Up! Hardwood Stamp.

• Hardwood stamp wood#133032 clear #133035

I have this stamp somwhere, but getting around the craft room is hard and I had right next to my desk this Jillibean Soup Hearty Barley wood look paper leftover from this blog post.  I also loved that it had little hearts in the wood grain.  Here is my version of the card.  

I got a little messy with the inking around the edge of the heart but it still turned out cute.  The You + Me stamp is from a Stampin'Up Stamp set called Hip Notes.  I embossed it with white EP.  The banner punch is a FREE item (along with a matching stamp set) in the Sale-A-Bration catalog (starts Jan 25th to March 31st).  With any $50 purchase from Stampin'Up you could get the banner punch and stamp set free!  Cardstock is Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede from Stampin'Up.  

Don't forget there is still another week to enter the Clean & Simple or Classic & Elegant Sketch Challenge over at the House of Cards challenge blog.  You can read about on this blog post of mine.

Happy Crafting!

Donna  

OWH Midweek Throwdown Chalkboard

Chalkboard is all the rage and OWH has a Midweek Throwdown asking for Chalkboard cards.  I made this one as an assignment for a class at Big Picture Classes with Kim Kesti (well known in the cardmaking world).

Stampin'Up Elementary Elegance (Retired),  Sizzix Labels 22 and Fancy Labels 22, DP and Ribbon from my stash.  

Happy Crafting!

Donna

OWH Sketch 205

Now that my daughter's wedding is over I have time to craft again!  Here is my version of the weekly sketch at the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps blog.

DSP is Basic Grey.  Stamp is Stampin'Up using Always Artichoke ink, card stock, and the Window Frames Dies.  It is fun getting back into crafting for my own pleasure versus the wedding.

Here is a picture of my daughter and her husband on their wedding day.  The professional photos won't be here for two weeks.  They make a cute couple!

Join me January 1st for my Top 13 of 2013

http://operationwritehome.org/starsandstamps/

Happy Crafting!

Donna

House of Cards December Blog Hop

Welcome to the House of Cards Term One Blog Hop!  If you've come here from Anita's blog then you are in the right place!  If you have just stumbled here and would like to participate, please hop over to the House of Cards challenge blog to get started!  We've got some fabulous sponsors that are providing prizes, so make sure to leave comments at each stop for a chance to win!

Here is our "Anything Goes" inspiration photo for the challenge.

Here is my card.

I used the Inspired by Stamping December 25th Labels.  I heat embossed first with silver EP for the bottom layer and then Clear EP over White Craft ink to get the chalkboard effect.  I smudged some chalk over the black cardstock for a more realistic chalkboard effect.  SB Labels 22 and Decorative Labels 22 were used to cut the stamp out.  The background DP is Silver Distressed Paint over a Distressed Ink background and then embossed with a CB embossing folder.  Ribbon is two layers Stampin'Up Organza ribbon and Island Indigo ruffled ribbon.

Please join in the fun of our hop and make your way over to my neighbor John's blog!

Here's the list of all the blog hop participants:

House of Cards Challenge Blog

Joanna Munster

Grace Tolman

Leah Cornelius

Irit Shalom

Kendra Sand

Nazeema Bastian

Rebecca Deeprose

Rose Miller

Shea Marshall

Tina Hale

Mynnette

Ruth 

Gale 

Nonni 

Tammy 

Vannessa

Mia

Nancy

Daen'Ys

Sue T.

Tara

Vicki

Alica

Anita

                                *Donna* ==You are here!

John

Shauna

Rudlis

Jules

Macarena

Rocky

Sue B.

Thanks for stopping by!  

Happy Crafting!

Donna

Pet Sympathy

A friend of our just lost their 17 year old dog.  I came up with this card to show our sympathy for his loss.  As a dog lover we know how hard it is to let one go.  Our Wiemeraner "Ghost" pictured over on the right side of my blog page is just one of the nine Wiermeraners we have rescued over the last 30 years.

 The background stamp is from Great Impressions (it must be retired but they have other paw print stamps.)  I cut the large paw with a SU heart framelit and the small oval punch.

Happy Crafting!
Donna

World Cardmaking Day Blog Hop

http://operationwritehome.org/starsandstamps

Welcome to the Operation Write Home World Card-making Day Blog Hop!  

We were asked to make a Thank You card using one of the OWH Sketches. 

I used OWH Sketch #69.

I like to call this card Polka-Dot Thanks.

All products are Stampin'Up!

Have a great World Card-making Day and go enjoy the rest of the Blog Hop!

Click Here to go back to the Hop

http://operationwritehome.org/starsandstamps

Happy Crafting!

Donna

House of Cards 5th Week Photo Inspiration

The challenge this week at House of Cards is a photo inspiration.  When there is a 5th Monday in any month, we have a photo inspiration and any style of card goes!  Here is the photo, won't you come and join us this week.  Just pick something that inspires you from the photo and make a card.  I picked the stripes and the pretty autumn leaves.  Easy, peasy!

My card:

The striped paper is Picadilly mounted on craft cardstock.  The sentiment stamp and border stamp are Inspired By Stamping.  The leaves are cut from some embossed cardstock in my stash.  Ink is Cajun Craze from Stampin'Up!  Looking forward to seeing your creations for this challenge.

I design Classic & Elegant cards for the Design team.  The definition of Classic & Elegant is :  "Think a greeting card from Hallmark.  These are not really cards that fit into any other category.  They usually feature floral or other classic elements.  Less embellishments than Shabby & Vintage or Fun & Cute, but more than CAS."

Would love to see you join us over at House of Cards this week.

Happy Crafting!

Donna

OWH Virtual Cardmaking Party Round 7

Still working on the  Virtual Card Making Party this weekend for OWH.  There are ten challenges and the linkys will stay open until Sunday September 8th.  So there is lots of time to play along. This challenge is from Marilyn at Blessed Creativity.  She asked us to make a fall card but not a Thanksgiving card.  

I used a bonus sketch from OWH but it was not listed as one of the 32 bonus sketches on the OWH website.  Someone needs to add this one in.

My DP on this card is a retired Creative Memories Bountiful DP.  The ribbon is May Arts Sheer ribbon with ruffle in Antique Gold.  Sentiment is Stampin'Up!.

I also wanted to add my card to the tutorial on coloring House Mouse images.  I dug out one of mine and followed to tutorial to come up with this card.  I had forgotten that I did this one.  And now I have forgotten which OWH sketch I used and what DP I used.  

Happy Crafting!

Donna

OWH Sketch #188 French Country

Still working on the  Virtual Card Making Party this weekend for OWH.  There are ten challenges and the linkys will stay open until Sunday September 8th.  So there is lots of time to play along. This is Challenge 6 and the weekly sketch for OWH.  The minute I saw this sketch I knew what I was going to do with it.

I just got some Graphic 45 French Country and I knew this sketch was perfect for it.  The sentiment is from Close to My Heart Jardine set.  It was a little sad to cover up the cute rooster and sunflowers inside the beautiful frame but I couldn't figure out any other way that looked good to get this sentiment on there.  I made my own background using cream cardstock, Vintage Photo distress ink, French Foliage stamp and Smokey Slate ink from Stampin'Up.  I distressed the edges with Fired Brick and Aged Mahagony distress ink.   

Happy Crafting!

Donna

OWH Virtual Cardmaking Party Round 5

OWH is having a Virtual Card Making Party this weekend.  There are ten challenges and the linkys will stay open until Sunday September 8th.  So there is lots of time to play along.  Challenge 5 is from Donna over at Donna Inks.  She asked us to use masking tape on your acrylic stamping block to create a background.  I really enjoyed trying this technique out.  

After covering my acrylic block with Artist Tape (I couldn't find the masking tape). I inked it with Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Pale Tomato.  I stamped down on the paper with a piece of foam underneath to get a good image.  The stamp set is from Close to My Heart "Home of the Brave."  I always use Range Archival Ink in Jet Black when I need a good solid black image like Lady Liberty here.  The stars are stamped three times with Stampin'Up Mariana Mists.  I coated the three largest stars with blue Stickles and will finish them off with glossy accents before I send this off as an anyhero card.  Only 5 more challenges to go.  Catch you later!

Happy Crafting!

Donna