Love Is Spoken Here - OWH Sketch 191

Happy Sunday everyone, I hope it's a start of a great week for all.  Today celebrates the first day of fall, and boy did the rain come with a vengeance!  We cooled down into the low 50's by dinner time, just perfect for the first pot of beef stew of the season.  Yumm!

Back to the task at hand.  Today's Operation Write Home sketch is one of those sketches that just hit me like a hammer, wow, so fun to pull out a few of those 6x6 pads and make a professional card in no time.  I really enjoyed today's card, and can see this being a go to sketch for the future.   I love the ability to use so many of my rectangular stamps and digis in this sketch too.  In addition to the OWH sponsor stamp companies, I'm a big fan of Create with TLC.  They offer a daily freebie digi, along with their other fabulous digis, so many are perfect for OWH cards.  Check them out!

DP:  My Mind's Eye 6x6 "Blush"

Digi: Create With TLC

Twine:  Recollections

Baby Brads: Paper Studio

Operation Write Home Sketch #190

Hello everyone, hope it's a good Monday for all.  This week's sketch at Operation Write Home looked so easy, then I over thought it!  I kept trying to add more details, and wasted a whole lot of time!  Finally, I gave in and went simple!  Being an Army mom, I rarely make any other service-related cards, however, when I saw this anchor dp, I knew I was destined for a few Navy cards.  The dps and the brads really match well in person, my camera flash seemed to make the colors all goofy.  At any rate, I'm happy, who knows, maybe  I'll try Marines next!  Have a great week.

DP:  Echo Park "Scoot"

        Memory Keepers "Red, White & Blue"

        Family Stories "Anchored"

Sentiment:  Create With TLC

Operation Write Home Birthday Bash 2013

Wow!  OWH is celebrating another birthday all month long.  One of the many celebrations include a fundraiser tutorial Card Class, in which for a small fee, we were  given select clear stamps and some yummy ribbon.  

On the big day, Sandy and her team uploaded all sorts of teaching techniques including step by step coloring videos for the chosen stamps.  I'm not a colorer by nature, so I tend to shy away from stamps.  I thought what a great way to practice, in the comfort of my own home, no pressure!  After watching the video a couple of times, I dove right in.  I'm pleased with my first attempt, and I definitely would do more of these card classes in the future.  It's not too late to sign up for the tutorial, free of charge.  Come on, join the fun!

DP:  Echo Park "All About A Boy"

Stamp:  My Favorite Things

Ribbon:  Bella! Ribbonz

Tiny Brads:  Recollections

Operation Write Home Sketch #188

It's sketch time over at Operation Write Home, a wonderful non-profit whose members make greeting cards for our heroes to stay in touch with their loved ones at home.  This week's sketch was part of a Virtual Card Making Party.  My DH and I took in a couple Colorado Rockies baseball games over in Denver, so my card making was limited to this week's sketch, so far.  I love this sketch, another great one to use a few coordinated scraps and a little bling.  Best wishes for a great week, I hope to catch up on a few of those great VCMP challenges too.

DP: echo park "All About A Boy"

Embossing:  QuicKutz "Woven"

Tiny Brads:  Recollections

Twine:  Memory Keepers

OWH #187 Miss You Colorado

Best wishes to everyone this Sunday evening.  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  My DH and I took a weekend trip around Western Colorado, making a big loop south from Grand Junction, to a micro brew beer festival in Ouray, then drove back home via a historic, scenic route through old gold and uranium mining country.  

Our son, now stationed in San Antonio, is a Western Colorado boy through and through.  We thought of our numerous family trips while we drove this weekend.  I know my son misses Colorado greatly, thus, the Miss You card for this week's sketch at Operation Write Home.  

I learned a new cool trick, although by accident.  When I put my solid cardstock through the embosser, I ended up with a sanded effect on the raised portions.  Apparently, when one uses colored cs with a white core, one gets the sanded effect.   Not quite what I intended, but I like the effect.

Chillin and Grillin Festival, Ouray, CO

Hanging Flume over looking the San Miguel River

Built in 1889 -A hanging "water canal" built along the sides of the rock

formation, to carry water up top to a gold mining camp.

(see dead center,  wooden remnants of the flume)

DP:  Ki Memories "Argyle" 6x6

EF:  Lifestyle Crafts "Chain"

Sentiment:  computer generated

OWH Design Bootcamp - Relationship Advice

Have you ever wanted to go back in time and call for a "redo"?  That's what I did!  This month's installment in Operation Write Home's Design Bootcamp, talked about relationships between elements in our cards, having connection, rather than randomly being applied.  Paula showed some great before and after cards.  The "afters" had such wonderful improvement in the overall card design and impact.

I've known for quite a while that my initial cards, although I thought were great at the time, could have used a bit more "umph" to them.  Today, I was putting together some card kits from last fall and came across leftovers from last year's OWH Thanksgiving cards.  Wow, I thought, this card could use a redo!  And that's what I did, here's my makeover.  I much more pleased with the result.  Thanks Paula for such a fabulous lesson!

AFTER

A little addition of a brown mat, three tiny brads, 

the ever so fun baker's twine, 3 little die cut leaves, all popped up with foam tape.

BEFORE

Very flat, little dimension, and those leaf brads look a bit "sneezy"

Sketch: Original Post OWH #140

Twine:  Memory Keepers

Leaf Die Cuts:  Robert Stanley Crafts (Hobby Lobby fall section)

Ticket to My Heart - OWH #185

Good morning everyone, hope it's a nice relaxing Sunday.  This week's Operation Write Home sketch is a easy CAS type sketch, so great for some of those wonderful 6x6 papers.  I'm really loving the newest pads out by MME and Authentique, many of the papers coordinate between the different pads!  Lots of versatility.  Hope you enjoy, have a great week.

DP:  MME "Dilly Dally"

        Authentique "Curiosity"

Ribbon:  American Crafts "Rocky Road"

Sentiment:  Print Shop 2 generated

Buttons:  sewing stash!