So Deer to Me

This is a card I made to send to Remi. I used sketch #154 from Operation Write Home.

I just love this sketch and used it to make a some Easter card for Operation Write Home. You can see it here.

For this card I used Fancy Pants Blissful Blizzard collection. The deer is a Technique Tuesday Stamp as is the sentiment. I colored the deer with Twinkling H2O's, Chestnut and Heavenly. I then cut the deer out and used foam tape for dimension.

I've also been working on making a new spine for a scrapbook album. I always add pages to my albums and some of the spines are not big enough so I decided to try to make my own as I don't want my album to look like this....

This is the album without the spine.

It's not quite the way I want it yet but it's getting close. I used some canvas paper from Teresa Collins Sports Edition II and glued it to grunge board to give it some durability and flexibility. Taking my Tim Holtz Distress inks (Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade and a little Vintage Photo. I rubbed my ink pad on my nonstick craft mat and added water. Then brushed it on the canvas paper. Once I get the desired look I will punch holes in the spine and put in the scrapbook.

Have you checked out WOW Wednesday over at Cat's Creations Blog? You can't help but get inspired looking at the work of our customers. Leave me a comment for a chance to win some blog candy from Cat's Creations and check out those who have linked up and leave comments for them too for a great chance to win! A random commenter will be a winner!

Have a good one!

Hint of Spring

It maybe January but we have had very "spring like" temperatures the last few days. Last night it only got down to 64 and I had to open the windows because it was too hot in the house! It's been in the upper 70's for highs during the day. This is definitely giving me spring fever already and we still have at least a month maybe more of winter!

In keeping with my goal I decided to do a few more past challenges from Operation Write Home.

For this card I used  Operation Write Home Sketch #154

I decided to do Operation Write Home's Midweek Throwdown Challenge - Spring Flowers from January 2, 2013.

All these papers were scraps from page layouts or cards so I'm not exactly sure of the names. I believe the flower print is Bella Boulevard and the pink background is the backside of a Webster's Pages. The sentiment is a Just Rite Stamp that I used pink ink and heat embossed with clear powder then used a circle punch. I put foam tape behind the sentiment for dimension.

My next card I used Operation Write Home Sketch #155.

I managed to make this card usable for three different challenges! Yeah, me! I will submit this one for ODBD January Challenge. ODBD (Our Daily Bread Designs) is a stamp company that supports Operation Write Home. They host a challenge once a month. Not only do they offer a prize to a winner picked randomly but  two boxes of handmade cards made for our deployed troops to send to their loved ones are shipped for free!

Their challenge this month is to include dry embossing on your card. They suggested maybe making Easter cards. So I thought...why not! This card is pretty simple but I liked it once I was done. It's easy enough I may make some multiples and just might get a package sent in time for the Easter deadline which is Feb 7th.

In making this card and looking over the list of challenges from the first of the year until now I realized this card met the criteria for this weeks Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown - Easter.

I've just got to share what Kennedy said to me last night. I am trying to write down the cute things she says so I will remember when she's all grown up! She spent the night with me last night. She had fallen asleep on the way back from feeding my horse. I let her sleep...too long and consequently we were up late.As we were laying in the bed she says to me "Tatah, my eyes are not sleepy". I had to laugh! I said "you're eyes might not be sleepy but Tatah's sure are!"

Have a good one!

Tuesday Morning Sketches #182

I received an email this week from Doodle Pantry about their sponsoring a card challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches so I went to take a look and decided to give it a try. Here is the sketch.

Here is my card

For the papers I used Little Yellow Bicycle Collection "Winterings". I just love the colors in this line. The penguin and snowy hills are a Unity Stamp set and so is the "hello" sentiment. I heat embossed the penguin with black powder then colored in with a black embossing pen and a yellow gel pen. The snowy hills I used Ranger white embossing powder called "puffs". It actually is more of a cream as you can see in the photo. I also heat embossed the sentiment and used a circle punch. I punched a hole in the circle and put the brown ribbon (from my stash) through and tied to the card.

I did remember to get a picture of the layout I used with this paper collection.

We had snow on Christmas Day! Little unusual for us! I was a little bummed we didn't get anymore than what you see but did get a few pics of my granddaughter with the white stuff!

I'm off to the retreat. Have a good one...I plan too!

Sending My Love

One of the things I wanted to try to do this year is participant in more of Operation Write Home card challenges. I am already getting behind but I am going to stay with it and try to do the challenges and sketches whether I meet the deadline or not.

I made this card using Operation Write Home Sketch#156. The papers I used are from Little Yellow Bicycle's winter collection "Winterings" that I had left from a one page layout I did. Which, by the way, I realized I didn't get a picture of! I'll do that tomorrow when I'm at the store. (note to self.) The image and sentiment are from Unity's stamp set "Sending My Love". I stamped the mailbox and cut it out. I also stamped and cut out the envelope. Using my craft knife I cut a slit in the mailbox so I could insert the envelope and used foam tape to give it some dimension. I also put foam tape behind the sentiment. The brads were from my stash.

I also made this card for Operation Write Home - The ABCs of Color Basic Color Theory. If I did this right, I am using a color scheme based on Nature. I need to practice some more with this. Not sure if I completely understand it yet.

I also made a card for Remi. We last saw her 2 weeks before Christmas. We were supposed to have her the week after Christmas but her mother and step dad had to relocate to California. Step dad is in the Air Force. She was supposed to come for a 7day visit this week but an agreement couldn't be reached. Makes me sad for everyone. Unless things change it is looking like Keannon will have to go to court again.

I got this adorable little girl popping out of an envelope from Sliekje Digi Stamps. It's called "Surprise in an Envelope". She is so gracious to share her digi's for free. She has so many that I really like. I colored her with my Copic Markers then decided to add a little bling for some sparkle. The DP is from Echo Park from a couple of summers ago. The sentiment is from the Unity Stamp set above. Looking at this just now makes me wish I had added some ribbon but I was in a hurry to get this in the mail.

Our church's ladies retreat is this weekend. Looking forward to a little time away to connect with Him and fellowship with my friends!

Have a good one.

Big Day!

Kennedy got her ears pierced! I still can't believe it! It was actually her idea. Vanessa kept trying to talk her out of it and went as far as letting her witness a baby getting her ears pierced. But she was determined. Hmmm....wonder if this is just the beginning of her being tenaciousness?!

Of course I had to record this big event by taking pictures! 

She wanted to sit on Daddy's lap. Here she is choosing which earrings she wants.

She settled on these. They look like the ones Mommy was wearing.

Marking the spot.

On the count of three.

She did cry and no I didn't take a picture of that. That's where I drew the line. She didn't cry long though.

and to prove she was still buddies with the lady who hurt her posed for a picture! She also wanted to go home with me (surprise - not!) She could not wait to show Granddad her ears!

The sun was shining in her face is why she covered her eye.

I saw her today and she is still happy with her earrings. 

Have a good one!

Night of Color

A two page layout I made using new paper from Reminisce called Magical. It will be coming to my local store (Cat's Creations) soon.

These are pics from 4th of July. My husband, Doyle was on duty that day at fire station #2. This station is right across the highway from the public firework display. We had great seats and no crowds. Keannon, Vanessa, Kennedy along with their friends came to watch the show.

 I double matted the pics with white card stock and red glitter paper from Best Creations. With what I had left I also cut out letters for my title. What I like about Reminisce paper is their strip that has the bar code on it, the other side is decorative. I used that strip on this layout on the bottom of the page to accent. The word embellishments are from two different stamp sets I had. One I don't know but the other is from Stampers Best My Hero Sentiments Set.

Here is a little closer view of the left side of the layout. 

The right side of the layout.

A little closer view of the journal block which is a Unity stamp. I used some rhinestones on two of the letters. I also used a cut out star from the letters I used for the title to "dot" the letter "I"

It's WOW Wednesday at Cat's Creations Blog. Leave me a comment for a chance for blog candy. Cat's Creations will pick a random commenter from one of the blogs linked up to Cat's. Have a creation you want to share? You can get all the details at Cat's Blog.

That about wraps it up for me today. Have a good one.

Have a Wonderful Day!

I made this card to enter in Doodle Pantry Digital Challegne #30. The theme is to use a Doodle Pantry image. I just love their images and I love the fact that some of their images are already colored such as this one. I can not color this good with my Copic Markers yet. I have a few friends in my life who are bird lovers so I am always looking for pretty bird images for card making. This one really caught my eye. It also came with this sentiment. 

This card is very simple but the image was so stunning I didn't want to do anything else for fear of taking away the focus from the iamge. I cut out the image and used foam tape to give the image some dimension. I did the same on the senitment. The background paper is Authentique's collection "Original". It was leftover from the letters I covered using this same paper line for my grandson's name. 

Vanessa's baby shower was Saturday. It was very nice.

These are the letters I altered for Vanessa. The baby's name will be Kashton.

My SIL wanted to do Kashton's room in a sports theme. It's hard to tell in these pics but the stickers are  dimensional. The only sport I didn't use was soccer mostly because the stickers available would have clashed terribly with this paper.

I was a little worried about whether or not Vanessa would like these as I didn't ask for her input. When this paper came in a few months ago it just seemed like the right paper to get! She seemed pleased at the shower.

This banner was made by her friend. Didn't she do a good job?! It hung over the food table.

The gift table.

The table decorations. The balloons wouldn't cooperate. There are mustache's on them.

Here's a better look.

Inside the "mustache" on the table are diapers.

close up of the cake.

Had to get a pic of these two adorable little dolls! This is Kennedy's buddy Ari. Her mom and Kennedy's Mom have been friends since grade school.

Vanessa also had on "mustache" earrings.

These mustaches on straws were too much fun!

Kennedy helped showing off the wonderful gifts.

Kashton's due date is March 4th. If he's anything like his sister he will be a February baby. Whatever the case it won't be long now! Have a good one!