Blogger buddy April challenge - Dads!

Hello there! It's April and time for the first blogger buddy challenge of the month with my good friend Sarah. :) I was hoping that we'd be enjoying some warmer weather by now, but ice and snow are what I see outside... if the forecast holds true, we might make it to 50 this week! Did I mention I started our seedlings for a container garden?  :o

They're sprouting. And I have no reason to think I can put them outside anytime soon. I need some pots, pronto!  

Sarah challenged us to make Dad cards with a mustache. I don't have any mustaches, so I did a dad card with a tag. I'm flexible like that. :) 

Authentique paper
SU ribbon scrap
Twinery twine; Verve stamp set

AND Sarah made me this tag (and a whole bunch more) with her Cricut! Yay! I love tags. :) 

Be sure to hop over to her blog and see what she cooked up...

Jen

Paper Players sketch 137 - dad; OWH bootcamp

Happy Friday!

It's technically spring but we are still buried in snow. :/ As a response, my husband suggested an impromptu trip to Florida for spring break - in SEVEN days, mind you - with our two small children.

Oh sure. So we are packing! I'm not sure who is more excited, us adults for warmer weather or the girls to see the princesses. :)

It's a CAS sketch over at the Paper Players blog. I used a new-to-me woodgrain technique to make this dad card:

Paper by Gina K designs
Dad stamp: Lizzie Anne; sentiment from Verve

This card also follows the "rule of thirds" that was outlined during this month's Operation Write Home bootcamp series. :)

Thanks for visiting me today!

Jen

OWH MWT - birthday

Hello there!

Give your loved ones an extra hug today, please. My parents had a freak accident yesterday and praise be to God, no one was seriously injured. It really makes you realize how fragile life can be.

I made this card today and I'm not thrilled with it. I think it might be better without the ribbon. What do you think? I just adore the sentiment, though. :)

Jillibean Soup papers
Unity Stamp co sentiment

And then I made this one, which is brighter than I would normally do but I kind of like it. It's very cheerful.

Jillibean soup paper, Bazzill card stock
Verve sentiment
Nesties ovals

Thanks for looking!

Jen

More OWH VCMP challenges - triple stamping, unused tools

I'm back from the treasure hunt and checking in with 2 more card challenges!

This was was a new-to-me triple stamping technique, which is pretty easy and would be fun to mass produce cards! I used Maya Road's doily stamps:

And then the challenge to use a neglected tool - I haven't used my crop-a-dile in AGES. Seriously. And I had these new large eyelets, which are pretty fun:

That's all for now - I'll be back later with the rest of the challenge cards (I hope!). :) Thanks for looking! You can head back to the master list of challenges to see what's all going on at any time. :)

Jen

OWH MWT - Father's Day

I just sent my muscle man box off to Kris, but I didn't reach my goal of 250 - so I'm still making a few more and hoping to get a smaller package out to her again by the end of the month. Hey, I think I can, I think I can... And since the MWT challenge over at the Stars & Stamps blog is to make Fathers' Day cards, well, hey! I can do that. :)

This DCWV guy stack has some really great masculine papers. This houndstooth is nothing extraordinary, but I really like it, especially with the jute ribbon. Which, by the way, Reasonable Ribbon sells in 25 yard spools. Just in case you were wondering. :)

This is Verve's Father Figure stamp set. Can you tell it is my very favorite go-to stamp set for Dad cards? LOVE it.

Thanks for visiting me today!

Jen

OWH MWT - love you the most!

The challenge over at the Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps blog this week is to make love cards. I am humbled and priviledged to be the sample card maker for the week; it's quite an honor! :)

I rocked out a new Unity set for this challenge. My DH and I always say, "I love you the most" so when I saw this Itty Bitty, I knew I needed it!

DP: PaperTrey Ink, solid c/s from stash
Stamp: Itty Bitty "Love you Most" from Unity Stamp Co
Twine from The Twinery
Martha Stewart grass punch, SU! circle punch
Momento rich cocoa ink

This house stamp is from one of last year's Unity KOM. I *love* those kits. ...and the "love" stamp at the bottom is an old SU! stamp. I love how this card turned out with the paper piecing, and it was SO easy. I just stamped the house and paper pieced it (and colored the heart with a marker), then I used my Nesties circle and circle scallops and stamped the "love" at the bottom.

I keep making a ton of dimensional ruffle cards... I'm like the ruffle card monster instead of the cookie monster. Well, I do love me some cookies too. :) I think it's so cool to make these with the 12x12 patterned papers that are vintage or kind of funky... the colors and patterns aren't set, so you get different looks cutting up the same 12x12 sheet, and since you cut the strips at 4 inches, you can make three cards out of one sheet. LOVE that. Thrifty AND super cool. 

This is a Verve stamp that I stamped in a SU ink (ruby red, I think) on cut outs from Nesties labels 8. LOVE the twine from The Twinery. I got the sampler pack and man, that's a lot of fun twine in a sampler pack!!! I love all the different colors.

Thanks for looking. Be sure to play along with us!

Are you sending in your cards for the second million? Cards have to be in the shipper's hands by June 30!!!! Mine are shipping on Friday - I have it on the calendar in INK. Have you seen the awesome prizes?? I rarely win, but I'm hoping I do this time!!

Jen

OWH Sketch challenge #69

It's Sunday and time for another sketch from Operation Write Home. Did you hear the big news?? OWH mailed the one millionth card this week!!!!  Congrats OWH and I'm proud to be part of such an awesome organization. :)

I got to have lunch (margaritas!!) with a friend and came home to a napping household, so I got my card done in no time. This one's for my sister's birthday next month:

SU DP (retired) and cardstock
Stamp set from Verve
Momento Ink and clear and red stickles for the balloons/bow
Small petite and small petite scalloped oval Nesties

Thanks for looking! Play along with us here and don't forget to sign up for the Memorial Day bloghop!

Jen

OWH MWT - cards for spouses

The challenge over at the Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps blog today is to make cards for military spouses! I've also been working hard on Fathers' Day cards, as I have to get my box mailed this week to Kris. My Verve "Father Figure" set is getting seriously inked these days!!

I had this piece of apricot appeal cardstock embossed already, and wanted to use it - I had intended it for another project, but then it didn't look right so I never used it.

I went for CAS, but then I think my cards look unfinished sometimes. What do you think? I had a great flower embellishment but I thought it was too big and overpowered the tag sentiment. (I see it was pretty bright in my office - the tag reads 'simply the best', and there are tiny pearls in the bottom and top right corners - they're hard to see!)

Card recipe:
SU apricot appeal and pink scrap
Cuttlebug birds & swirls embossing folder
The Twinery cappucino twine
Verve stamp set
Tiny pearls from my stash
Momento lilac posies ink for the sentiment, edges

AND Then a few of the DAD cards I've been working on:



OWH Sketch challenge 67

It's Sunday and time for another sketch challenge from Operation Write Home! I am knocking out some Father's Day cards this week so that I can mail a box to Kris by FRIDAY. I am committed - I wrote it on the calendar in SHARPIE!!!

Anyhow, I found this really cool burnt orange herringbone patterned DP from a DCWV mod-retro stack and thought it would make a great Father's Day card. My "Dad" stamp didn't fit on my tag :(  so I need to see if I can find another die for a bigger tag, or maybe I can use a Nesties oval.

Card recipe:
cardstock - from the scrap bin, embossed with Cuttlebug argyle folder
DP from mod-retro DCWV stack
American Crafts ribbon
Momento Chocolate Brown ink
Verve's Father Figure stamp set 

Thanks for looking! Play along here and learn more about Operation Write Home!

Jen

OWH MWT - Father's Day

The challenge over at the Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps blog today is to make Father's Day cards! The mailing deadline for shipping Father's Day cards is May 21, which sounds like a long time away but really isn't at all. That's... six weeks away? Yikes!

Anyhow, coincidentally I made a few Father's Day cards just the other day. I saw this card layout on Sandy's blog, I think (yup! I was right - you can see her cards here) and totally CASE'd it. I've had this gorgeous paper forever and a day and I love how it turned out here.

Card recipe:
DP: DCWV paper stack from a loooong time ago
Stamp set: Verve's Father Figure
Cardstock: unknown from my stash
Ink: Momento Tuxedo black

I love CAS (clean and simple) cards, and I think they work SO well for Father's Day! I can't imagine my dad wanting a fussy card with ribbons and bows. LOL

Won't you play along?? Thanks for visiting!

Jen