OWH - September Daily Bread Challenge

For the September Daily Bread Challenge, we are to make our own background.  This technique uses an embossing folder.  I applied distress inks on the flatter side of the embossing folder, spritzed the water color paper with water and just pressed it on the folder.  The pattern transfers in an artsy way.  I also mix some perfect pearls with water and keep it in a small squirt bottle.  I use this water to wet the paper and it gives an amazing shine to the inked areas.  The butterflies are also dipped into the distress inks.  The HELLO is a Simon Says Stamp die.

With these pretty results, why do I keep buying patterned paper?  Because I love them !

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Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge - Anything Goes Sept 7 - 13th

           



For the Anything Goes Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge, I recently purchased the new Stockings Die from Paper Smooches.  Although maybe intended for Christmas, I immediately thought of this card to send to a golfing friend.  I scored lines on the socks and the toes and heels are colored with gray Copic markers.  Not sure where the paper came from, just using up some scraps.

It makes me laugh and I hope she will enjoy it.

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OWH- August Daily Bread Challenge

For the August Daily Bread Challenge, stars were the assignment.  In continuing to make some western themed cards, I thought this would also qualify for the challenge.  I glued some denim on the card base and found this old paper that looked like leather.  A star die and it was done.

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Art Impressions Challenge 140 - BIG BIRTHDAYS

For the Art Impressions Challenge 140, a birthday card was the challenge.  The Golden Oldies stamps from AI are always perfect for my friends since we are all getting old and can clearly relate to these images.  I used my new Avery Elle dotted images to make the border on the stamped paper which I put on glossy photo paper for that crisp image.

The big problem I have now, is who gets this card?  I have several friends who qualify . .

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OWH - July Daily Bread Challenge

For the July Daily Bread Challenge, the challenge was Things with Wings.  I thought the black and white simplicity of this card makes the embossing stand out.  This is a Cuttlebug embossing folder.  My daughter collects owls so I have quite a few of those birds in stamps and dies as well.

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OWH - June Daily Bread Challenge

For the June Daily Bread Challenge, this was an easy challenge for me to use die cuts.  I think die cutting is my favorite technique since it always turns out the same.  These are the Paper Smooches Drink Glasses dies and it is always easy to make a card with them.

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MY HUSBANDS BOOK

I am so proud of my husband.  My husband has always had a dream to write a book.  He has worked very hard at the computer, typing away and putting together a wonderful story about a man and his dog.  At the end of each day, I would read through and help edit for grammar and spelling mistakes.  I think I have read some of the chapters four or five times.  It is now available for sale at Amazon.  Way to go Richie, I love you even more . . .

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OWH - May Daily Bread Challenge

Embossing was style of the card for May Daily Bread Challenge.  I found a leaf die and realized it was perfect for the flame and then embossed them for a bit more character.  Embossing one candle also helped balance the design.  The "Happy Birthday" is an old brass stencil and I tried clear embossing paste and it had lots of texture, but being clear it did not show up very well. So, I used distress ink and blended up the card and then it just pops out!

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OWH - April Daily Bread Challenge

For the April Daily Bread challenge for Operation Write Home, you were to use Insects. There have been some really adorable cards already posted, but the insect I remember the most were the fireflies you would see at night.  As a child, I would collect them in a jar and then release them when we were ready to go to bed.  Simple card but the best part is the Wink of Stellar glitter touches on the fireflies, but the camera just does not capture that.

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Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

For the Anything Goes with Buttons challenge at Simon Says Stamp, I had the perfect paper.  I have had this forever and when I say this cute expression, it came together quickly.  I tried to glue some buttons on, but they were lost in all this paper.  Sometimes, less is more.  But I am qualifying by using my Crafter's Companion adhesive which is my favorite adhesive.  A bargain and it sticks really well.  That kind of ties in with my expression about holding things together.

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Art Impressions Challenge #131 Card Two

 For the Art Impressions Take A Peek Challenge, I think I now understand, my first card did not peek through!  This card has an acetate window and when you open it, you can understand why the grass is so tall.  I make cards for the OWH program, so I added one more layer to allow someone to write a message.


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Art Impressions Challenge #131

This card is for the Take A Peek challenge at the Art Impressions blog.  I thought these hens were peeking through the chicken wire and talking about Easter.  But, I think after reading the challenge again, the peek was to be on the inside of the card.  YEOW!  I will try again.

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OWH - March Daily Bread Challenge

The March Daily Bread Challenge is to make a thank you card.  I am making a selection of Western cards for OWH so I combined these efforts.  I glued some denim on the card front and then die cut the star out of the top paper.  I would think any cowboy would be proud to use this card.

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Paper Smooches Designer Draft Challenge - #2

I ordered this set of stamps, Hang Ups from Paper Smooches and they arrived today just in time to submit one more card for the Designer Draft Challenge.  This stamp set has tons of small images that will work perfectly for many holidays.  I stamped the branch end and made it a little wider on the left side.  Copic coloring completes the card and of course, a few sequins and a set of google eyes.

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Paper Smooches Designer Draft Challenge

For the Designer Draft Challenge I used the Free Spirits stamp set.  I seem to be fond of chevron designs recently, so I used that for the embossing and patterned paper.

The best part is I stamped the bottles with a clear embossing on black paper and cut around them and mounted them with some foam adhesive.

I think the Paper Smooches stamps are the best!  I have used all different inks and the images are always crisp.

I felt like celebrating when I finished this card!

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Art Impressions Challenge 129 - Card Two

This is my second card for Get Krafty Week 2 challenge for Art Impressions.  Sadly, the camera has not caught the coloring very well, she really is not quite so orange!  I used the kraft paper as sand and tore the edge and embossed it.  Copic markers were used to color the scene.  I used the Wink of Stellar clear glitter pen on her bathing suit for that subtle wet sparkle look.  I love the AI stamps, they all make me laugh.

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Art Impressions Challenge 129

For the Art Impressions Challenge 129, Get Krafty Week Two, was to use brown kraft paper somewhere.  I stamped the kraft paper with a brown ink using a woodgrain stamp. The die cut is chicken wire and of course the stamp is one of the funny AI Bird-Brains.  I colored the hens and the die cut using copic markers.

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OWH - Sketch Challenge #210

Tim Holtz all the way!  This Sketch Challenge was the third part of the Super Card Bowl for OWH.  I have not done any distressing in a long while and it was fun.  The sentiment is an old Cuttlebug die.   The sad part of these old photos is one of them looks just like me and my mom when I was a little girl . . .

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OWH - February Daily Bread Challenge

For the February Daily Bread Challenge, you are to use brown and make a masculine card.  My dog is white, but a Great Dane is more likely brown.  This is a Inky Antics stamp set and a touch of glossy accents on his nose makes this card!  This will also qualify for the Super Card Bowl for OWH and then it goes in my pile to send to Sandy.

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OWH 2014 Card Bowl

Sandy has come up with a great challenge and my idea came to me immediately.  I made this card for the 2014 Card Bowl for Operation Write Home.  The challenge was a masculine card supporting one of the teams and I chose the colors as my theme.  Seahawk colors were the most fun to work with so now, I am a Seahawks fan.  Good news, right Sandy?

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Online Class - Stenciled - Day Four #2

I had great success with this idea, it just took awhile.  Jennifer McGuire cuts acetate with wafer thin dies, but that has never worked for me.  But those Bigz Dies, they work like butter.  I then dyed my embossing paste a hot pink and layered it on the areas to look like the frosting.  I pieced it all together to make the final cake.  The first cake was white with sprinkles, but it looked ugly so I die cut another cake from brown paper and voila - Chocolate Cake!

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Online Class - Stenciled - Day Four

The most important thing I have learned in this stencil class is I need some stencils! This was my third try at this idea.  I spent all day trying to find things that would work.   I finally found an old, old, old, old scrapbooking stencil of sunglasses and then stenciled over it with a dot border stencil.  I love these colors and the message just went perfectly.

But the best part was the Wink of Stella glitter touches on each of the dots.  OWH will get this beauty and someone will send it to a loved one.  That makes this card all worthwhile.

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Online Class - Stenciled - Day Three

For a first time, this was easy and fun.  I first made a stencil out of thick card stock using a die.  I mixed my white embossing paste with three different colors.  Great results.  I think the thing I have loved discovering in this class is that little wad of string.  Adds some movement to a card without adding bulk.

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Online Class - Stenciled - Day Two #2

I thought Kristina's card using stamps over stencils was genius.  I made the stencil by punching out some hearts using white card stock.  I lack large word stamps, but in person, you can see the message much clearer.  When I used the baby wipe to clean off the white embossing, it reacted to the pink heart and gave it a faded look.  So, I wiped some more to even out the pink heart.  Live and learn!

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Online Class - Stenciled - Day Two

This class is making me go to areas I have never been.  It is fun to try and learn new techniques.  I made this stencil by punching a chicken wire die using white card stock and then inking and blending colors.  The best part is when you remove the stencil.  The little tired bird is an Art Impressions stamp and with the chicken wire, it seemed like a match.

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Online Class - Stenciled - Day One

Stenciling, this is new to me.  I ordered a few stencils before the class so that I would have something to try.  For some reason, when I got this one by Crafter's Workshop, it appeared backwards to me.  I thought I would be stenciling the numbers, not the background.  But, using Distress Inks made this project easy and it became a beautiful background.  Using numbers for a birthday works well, everyone can pick the ones that mean something to them.

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Art Impressions - Challenge 125

Expect the Unexpected was the theme for Art Impressions Challenge 125.  With all the fancy dies around, my old punches are gathering dust.  So I added some grass using my Martha Stewart grass edge punch at his feet.  The balloons have a light colored "Love You" message along with the heart and are covered with Wink of Stellar clear glitter. Living in a small retired town in Nevada, there are many men who look just like this!  I will include this card in my box for Operation Write Home.

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OWH- January Daily Bread Challenge

For the January Daily Bread Challenge we were to use stripes on our card.  These are random strips of polka dot paper, glued on a base card.  I cut the words "love you" from a heavy vinyl paper and pieced them into the cut out.  The words have a great shine, which just did not photograph very well.

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