OWH MWT and a BIG announcement! :)

There; hopefully I've lured you in.. and now I shall get on with the card first. :) 

It's Operation Write Home mid-week throwdown time and the challenge this week is masculine cards. Well, I was out of town on Sunday and never got around to sketch 180 when I returned, so here you go - a two-fer:

Paper - MME Stella & Rose
Card stock - PTI smokey shadow
Hero Arts for OWH sentiment
CTMH gray ink

What made this card much more difficult was forgetting to mat that rust-colored piece (I couldn't leave it. It didn't look right). I sliced off a couple of very thin strips of card stock, added a little liquid adhesive, and slapped 'em down (all in a calm, easy manner, mind you) and voila - I bet you couldn't even tell I had to fudge it. :)

And now for the BIG NEWS - I'm on the Lone Wolf Designs Design Team! Kris is the owner of Lone Wolf Designs LLC - here is her facebook link - and she provides crafting supplies at 25% off retail! Seriously, go check it out. I know how I love a good deal! Be on the lookout as I share some projects using the products she carries (Lawn Fawn, anyone?). 

Today was highly productive... I took the kids to the zoo for a free and up-close-and-personal look at "underground creatures", including some very reptilian ones. It will not surprise those of you that know me that I feigned an urgent bathroom need when they brought out the snakes... *shudder*.  Then I engaged my daughter and her friend in some child labor life skills (hulling strawberries with my super-duper cool and you will want one too strawberry huller and then mashing them); made jam, and then made pretzels with the girls once the friend went home. I can't decide if the cinnamon-sugar or plain ones are my favorite... with plenty of kosher salt!

Thanks for visiting me today!

Jen

OWH sketch 178 - for you

Hey! Happy Sunday; it was a good day here. My husband's parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary today! Lots of family came from out of town and it was really wonderful to see people we don't see very often. :) My husband is the youngest of 7, and it was very funny as they all shared stories from growing up and the things they learned from their parents. My husband talked about perspective, and how he felt sorry for those poor souls who could only afford a half grocery cart of food - because for 9 people, they left with 2 or 3 carts! :)

Making a card was the perfect way to de-stress after a long day. Okay, I did get up early (we had guests overnight at our house) before everyone else to shower and then I checked out the sketch and chose my papers and stamps. And THEN I let it percolate for 13 hours until I could assemble it. :) This is Operation Write Home sketch 178:

My Minds Eye everyday flair - only scraps left of this now
Hero Arts for OWH stamps
Twinery twine

Thanks for visiting me today! 

Jen

Drunken Stampers #126 - Braveheart challenge

Time for another movie inspiration challenge at the Drunken Stampers blog and the Bahama Mamas are up with Braveheart (gingham/plaid/tartan) pieces!!

I remember seeing this movie in my teenage years (am I dating myself? LOL). Oh, Mel Gibson..... :) I pulled out some gingham - I'm a big fan of it! - and went for a simple lovey-dovey card.

Cosmo Cricket material girl paper
Gina K ivory and craft card stock
Hero arts for OWH sentiment
CTMH ink

This is a new favorite sketch of mine (from Operation Write Home, it's number 164).  Thanks for coming over to see my creation; be sure to go back to the Drunken Stampers blog so you can see everyone else's inspiration piece and upload your own creation!

Jen

OWH MWT - time

Hello!

This week's Operation Write Home mid-week throwdown challenge is to use "time" as a theme. I have this OWH Hero Arts set and I love it; it's one of my most-often used sets. I did lose one of the sentiment stamps :( but I'm hoping it's floating around in a drawer and I haven't found it just yet!

This is sketch 159 with a slight adaptation. :)

Hero arts for OWH stamp set
Bazzill carob cream; CTMH orange card stock; Gina K Ivory

Thanks for looking!

Jen

OWH MWT/Jen & Sarah's challenge, end of the month recap

Happy Good Friday, everyone!

I hope you are well and planning for a great weekend. This is my last post as we are headed out - very early - tomorrow morning to Orlando! If you are so inclined, please say a quick prayer that we all arrive in good spirits with all of our luggage. Because you never know how that will go! The girls are SO excited to meet their favorite princesses. :) Major kudos and thanks to my good friend Sara, who lent us her daughter's Ariel costume for the trip. :)

It's the end of the month and so it's blogger buddy challenge time with my good bloggy friend, Sarah! It's my challenge but since we are so crazed trying to get everything ready, I gave us an 'anything goes' challenge. Turns out my card also works for the OWH mid-week throwdown challenge to use stripes! Go figure. Be sure to hop over to Sarah's blog to see what she created as well.

Hero Arts/OWH stamp sentiment
the very end of this Basic Grey pad - do not remember the name
Gina K dark chocolate card stock

March - 8!

And as usual, here is my end of the month recap for ATG rolls. I know, it's silly, but I kind of like keeping track - I'm such a nerd! LOL  Not too bad - my daughter's school agreed to make some Operation Write Home cards this month, so this would be much higher had I been the ones assembling all of those pieces! I love that the teachers are enthused about supporting our troops and the kids are learning more about serving others. :)

Happy Easter!

Jen

Drunken Stampers challenge 118 - Sixteen Candles

Hello and welcome to another Drunken Stampers Saturday challenge! The challenge this week is a birthday theme.  My husband and I have over twenty nieces and nephews between our two families. I am constantly short on birthday cards! :)  This one I made with a good friend in mind; her birthday was yesterday so it's safe to share today. :)

Here is my card:

Card stock: Gina K
My Mind's Eye honey cake papers (I am down to tiny scraps of these! sob!)
Hero Arts for OWH sentiment

Thanks for looking! Be sure to hop back to the Drunken Stampers blog for more inspiration and to enter your own birthday card in our gallery!

Jen

OWH ODBD scallop challenge; Feb recap

Hello! It's the first Saturday of the month and that means the Our Daily Bread Challenge for OWH! For every 25 cards linked; ODBD will cover the cost of mailing a box overseas (limit of 2 boxes). 

The challenge this month is to use scallops on a card. The mother's day deadline is quickly approaching, so I've been making 'mom' cards. (Truth - I very rarely make ANY 'happy x day' cards; I make generic ones so they can be used longer.)

Basic Grey Eva paper; Gina K card stock
Ali Edwards for TT sentiment, Worn Lipstick ink and edge punch

And a quick February recap. I've started a silly goal of saving my ATG rolls to see how many I use in a month:

Only 6! January was 10.

I only made these two lonely Christmas cards (and I made them on Thursday, LOL!) but I made kits to make another nine or so. I just need to assemble them.

Authentique scraps, Hero Arts sentiment

Thank you for visiting me today. Come back tomorrow; there's more awesomeness in store and a melt-your-heart and make-you-cry ministry to learn about.

Jen

OWH MWT - recipe cards

Hello there and happy Wednesday! It has been so busy this past week - my house looks like a tornado whipped through it, LOL, which totally stresses me out - that I haven't had much time to craft!

Today's OWH challenge is a recipe challenge - 

2 patterned papers

1 twine/ribbon

1 die cut

1 embossing folder

I made this one first. While I love the papers, it's overall just kind of 'meh' to me. The ribbon looks a lot more coordinated than in the photo, I promise.  I combined a couple of sentiments but I'm not sure the mix in fonts works either. ARGH! 

My Mind's Eye Blink of an Eye
Sentiments from Ali Edwards/TT
Plaid embossing folder (on top pp piece)
Nesties labels 8

So then I made this one, and I like it a lot more. It's not crooked in real life. Maybe my head is crooked? I swear I have way too many crooked photos lately. :/

Hero Arts for OWH sentiment
My Mind's Eye Away we go paper
PTI smokey shadow card stock
CTMH ink; Twinery twine
Nesties small ovals

The embossing is harder to see in the second photo - I embossed the larger oval with a woven/linen embossing folder. It's subtle. :)

Thanks for looking!

Jen

OWH VCMP - caffeine challenge

Good morning, sunshine! I always annoy my late-owl husband with my early bird perkiness. :)  Anyhow, welcome to the first Sunday virtual card making party challenge for OWH! What better challenge for first thing in the morning then a caffeine challenge? (If you want to see the other challenges from yesterday or this is the first you've heard about the VCMP, go here to learn more.)

So, find your stamps or dies related to coffee, tea, soda, or chocolate and get crafty! If you don't have anything of those varieties, don't worry - Operation Write Home has a fantastic and very easy coffee cup tutorial. In fact, this one of my go-to shaped cards simply because it is SO easy to make. When I had a glut of solid colored card stock last year (a gift from my dear sis), I mass-produced a whole bunch of them. :)

I always think gray and dark red is a very classy combo, and it works well for both men and women. So I made two coffee cup cards, one for a man and one for a woman. I lined both of the insides with white card stock.

Left card:
Ippity by Unity burlap stamp; OWH/Hero Arts sentiment
Right:
OWH/Hero Arts sentiment and hearts stamps
Bazzill textured gray and pomegranate splash card stock
1/2" Corner Chomper
Embossing folders: plaid (left) and swirls (right)
scrap of crochet trim (right)
Nestabilities labels 18
Tim Holtz fired brick ink

To make things more fun, here are some retired stamps from Lizzie Anne Designs as well as a pack of ribbon and twine in lots of colors:

I'll give both of these to one lucky commenter. If you want a chance to win, you must comment and commit to sending (at minimum) two cards (or Anyhero notes) to a shipper in the next 2 weeks. (If you just sent a box in the last few days, that counts too!) You can find the shipper addresses here. For an EXTRA chance to win, link up a caffeine card. :)

Go get busy and link up your card! 

Jen

OWH VCMP - day 1 challenges

Happy Saturday! It is bright and sunny here in Wisconsin... cold though! We won't be outside much today.

Operation Write Home is having a virtual card making party (vcmp) this weekend for Presidents' Day, and for once we are home all weekend so I can play along. YAY! The first challenge is from Erika @ Scrappin Intervention, and it's to use zig zags.

I recently asked the OWH ladies which chevron die I should buy, and they recommended the MFT chevron die. LOVE it! :)

Stampin Up designer paper
MFT chevron dies
Stamp by Lizzie Anne Designs

Challenge 2 is from Misty - and it's a kid card challenge using a creature! These kid stamps of mine are going to get a workout today. :)

I stayed with the chevron theme. Hey, the dies were still out! :)

Stamp from Lizzie Anne Designs
Hero arts for OWH cloud stamp
MFT chevron die, grass punch, chalks

I tried to lightly chalk the sky with blue, which didn't work as well as I had hoped, so I added clouds. I think it still works!

There's challenges all weekend long! You can play along at any time!

Jen

OWH MWT - the WI flag turned card

Hello there! I've rejoined the land of the living after a nasty bug early this week. I'm just thankful that no one else in my household got sick! 

Today's challenge at the Stars & Stamps blog is to take the colors of your state flag and make a card. I live in Wisconsin, and this is our flag. Forward!

And here is my card, loosely based on sketch 151:

OWH/Hero Arts stamp set
Stampin Up dp
Bazzill cardstock, SU really red ink

Thanks for visiting me today! I'm excited for this weekend's upcoming VCMP, are you?

Jen

OWH sketch 159 - thanking my lucky stars

So when I saw this week's sketch challenge over at the Stars & Stamps blog, I knew what I wanted to do. And then, like a dork, I went against my gut and tried to make a different card. Bad move... it didn't turn out so well.  DOH! (I won't show you that one. Let's all forget it ever happened!)

So I went back to my original plan. This is sketch 159.

Hero Arts for OWH stamp
Nesties labels 8, Cuttlebug stars EF
SU ribbon and ink

That's all for now... busy weekend, leading up to a busy week!  :)

Jen

OWH Sketch 154 and more :)

Hey there! Is it Tuesday already??  Wow. The new year is off to a great start here - Christmas break was super rejuvenating, and though the flu is making the rounds we've been healthy enough. I'm not going to complain!!

I finally got a chance to play along on sketch 154 from Operation Write Home. I'd like to offer a great, big welcome to Marlene, the new "sketch lady!" :)  My first attempt was not so hot, but I tried again and I like the end result:

Authentique paper
HERO ARTS/OWH sentiment

Nesties labels 9

Momento London Fog ink; Tim Holtz Victorian Velvet ink

I made a lightbox from Paula's tutorial over at the Stars & Stamps blog today. I need better lighting yet, but wow - what a difference! My box has a spot right on top of my printer, LOL. What can I say? I'm a little crunched for space in here. 

The Nesties shape is my blog win from Krystil's blog on New Year's. :) I LOVE these new labels... thank you, Krystil! 

I found a great local stamping resource - Lighthouse Books & Gifts in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. If you are anywhere near or traveling through, be sure to stop in and check it out. They have a truly awesome selection of stamps, dies, inks, and embossing folders. They even carry a bunch of 6x6 pads, and I know I"m not the only paper addict out there. :)

Thanks for visiting me today!

Jen

OWH MWT - love and hugs!

Hello people! I have been neglecting my blog lately, I know, I just have so little time to craft these days! Trust me, I wish it was different! Two birthdays in a short time frame plus Thanksgiving and Advent makes for a crazy Jen!

 

Anyhow, I've been thinking on the OWH MWT challenge for love & hugs cards this morning I found a few random pieces and I think I put them together into a pretty cohesive whole. Don't you love it when you can manage that? The hearts were punched already, so I used the negative image; the woodgrain had a circle cut out so I filled the space with wide ribbon and let the sentiment flag fly on top. Cool, no? I love the colors in this card!

 

MME Lime Twist, I think
PTI ripe avacado and Bazzill berry sensation
Hero Arts for OWH stamps
SU ribbon, Momento rose bud ink

 

thanks for visiting me today! I think I might have a new project to share tomorrow, too. :)

 

Jen

OWH MWT - You are my world

Hey there! It's mid-week throw down time over at the Operation Write Home blogs and this week's challenge is to make Valentines, or love cards, for our heroes to send home. The holiday deadlines have passed so now we switch gears to pink and red and hearts. :)

I was going for a more masculine love card, and I'm not sure this works. I think it does; my husband hasn't come home for lunch yet so I'll ask him later. LOL!

This is MME paper with the Hero Arts for OWH Epic Love set. LOVE it! The globe got lost when matted on the yellow dp so I matted it in red first, and I think that really helps it pop. This is this weeks sketch (144), if you haven't tried it yet GO DO IT NOW because this is quickly becoming a go-to sketch for me. It's super simple and the results are fab!

Thanks for visiting me today! I'm potty-training my 2 year old this week. Best go have her take another go at trying. :)

Jen

OWH sketch 144

It's Sunday! It's a beautiful, sunny (though cold!) day here in Wisconsin. My non-football watching husband went to a Badger game yesterday with friends. He said, "it was fun!" and then admitted it was a blend of torture made enjoyable with his friends and one brother. LOL :) I would've liked it..... but I like football. :)

Today's sketch 144 is a good one, I went for masculine and made these:

The first card would be better with layers. I need to go back and rework it, though I do like overall how it turned out. The stamps are Unity's "love you to pieces set".

OWH sketch 136; VCMP challenge - punches

Hey there and happy Sunday! We are headed - after mass - to my parent's house for a cookout with my parents and my brother's family. I hear there will be treasure maps! Grandpa and Grandma are sure ambitious this weekend... the girls are pretty excited. :)

Anyhow, it's time for sketch 136 AND the combined VCMP challenge to use punches, as this sketch is perfect for them.

I again went with the "unknown dp" and had the hardest time finding a coordinating cardstock color, so I layered it with Bazzill's walnut cream. I don't often do light layers, but I do think it works on this card:

SU snowflake punch
unknown dp; bazzill walnut cream
Hero Arts sentiment

I found this SU snowflake punch at a rummage sale this summer for $3. I think it will get a lot of use, and I think I will use this sketch to use up the couple of sheets of this snowflake paper. :)

Thanks for visiting my blog today! :)

Jen

OWH TT: santa cards

Hello there! Today I made my very first EVER Santa card. I have to say - I think it is pretty darn sweet! :)

Today's card was made from this tutorial over at the Operation Write Home blog. It's SUPER easy and very cute! These would be great to mass-produce.

All I had for sliders were two of these hearts, and I think they work quite well! I'm going to have to go find some soda can tabs so I can make some more.

Hero Arts sentiment
soda tab/heart slider embellishments
divine swirl embossing folder
large scalloped oval nesties

Thanks for visiting me today! I always appreciate your kind comments. )

Jen