Swap Round 2 - Month 6

surprise! I actually took a picture of the kit!

this one was from Laurie and is the last one in this swap round. July was busy and it took me a little extra time to get my cards made, but here they are:

the first card uses Operation Write Home Sketch #183. believe it or not, I didn't need sketches for the other two!

take a moment and see what the other ladies did with this adorable kit!

Arlyn:
http://scrapperal.blogspot.com/

Katie:
http://www.2craftykaties.blogspot.com/

Peggy:
http://myviewfromthebleachers.blogspot.com/

Wendy:
http://shesgonecrafty.blogspot.com/

Laurie:
http://www.scrapsfromthebeach.com/

Happy Anniversary! Happy Birthday! Hi!

my father remarried 10 years before I got married. so while I celebrated 20 years of marriage this year, he celebrated 30!! I am sure I have used these stamps multiple times, but they live in Hawaii and the stamps are penguins....how can I resist? I will admit that I was inspired to make this card by one Taylor VanBruggen made for Taylored Expressions to show off their new release. don't be surprised if you see these two penguins on one of my cards it the future....I just couldn't get them in time to make the anniversary card this year!

later in the same week, a dear friend had a birthday. I won't tell you how old she is turning but I will tell you that she sure doesn't seem that old! she can keep up with the best of them! I wanted to go crazy with the pennants and think this qualifies!

and.......even though I haven't posted the layout (and might never.....cards seem so much easier to post)....I completed a layout and made a card from some of the leftovers. this is that card! heck, I even used washii tape on this one. (nice shadow on these photos, huh?? one of my lights in my scraproom was broken....)

 

thanks for looking!

Swap Round 2 - Month 5

Wendy sent out a great kit with some fun Scenic Route papers and a lot of wonderful embellishments! and no, of course I didn't take a photo! but if you check out Arlyn's blog she did! (thank you!)

Wendy included this great embossed card. I knew I needed to do some with those hexagons! I added the little bee brad.

when you forget that you already made a Father's Day card, an Operation Write Home sketch #176 can really come to the rescue! this was actually the first card I made with the kit and it was made and mailed in an hours time! still got there late.......slowpoke mail to Hawaii! oh well! I added the button, brads, and ribbon to the kit.

I loved the die cut that Wendy included in the kit and finally figured out a way to show it off! the only thing I think I added to this card from my stash were the alphabet stickers.

I like this card because I actually finally used a stamp that I was really excited to buy! it supports Operation Write Home......and is based on Sketch #177.  I flipped the sketch on its side and centered everything. I didn't realize it wasn't suppose to be centered! oops!

thanks so much for looking! be sure to check out what everyone else did with the awesome kit! one month to go......

Arlyn:
http://scrapperal.blogspot.com/

Katie:
http://www.2craftykaties.blogspot.com/

Peggy:
http://myviewfromthebleachers.blogspot.com/

Wendy:
http://shesgonecrafty.blogspot.com/

Laurie:
http://www.scrapsfromthebeach.com/

Swap Round 2 - Month 4

This kit was provided by Peggy. See all the pretties she included!!!

 

for my first card, I really wanted to highlight the great black and white chevron paper. I made the tag with the ghost flower and quote and put it on the paper. blah! I added the border of yellow to the paper. blah! I added the flower sticker and Prima flower. blah! I left it alone. a couple hours later I came back and added the blue doily. NOW I like it!

I really wanted to play with the polka dots in this next card so kept it simple. put a little paper behind the polka dot ribbon to help highlight it. the sentiment is QK Grande Finale. 

This is one of my favorite go-to sketches from Operation Write Home (sketch #154). perfect for little leftovers. of course I had to ink them all! and it let me use another phrase sticker as well as the cool felt sunflower Peggy sent. I backed the holes with blue paper, though I guess black would be more fitting. 

and then I noticed I still had a few more squares leftover! oh, and a strip of that polka dot paper! so I did my favorite scraplift.....a thank you card Arlyn sent me years ago! this made me smile because I got too use my favorite phrase sticker from the bunch along with some brads.

 

these sunny cards made me smile. I hope they make you smile! and soon I hope they make a Hero smile and then his/her family!

please take a moment to go see what the other ladies have done with this cheerful kit!

 

Arlyn:

scrapperal.blogspot.com

Katie:
http://www.2craftykaties.blogspot.com/

Peggy:
http://myviewfromthebleachers.blogspot.com/

Wendy:
http://shesgonecrafty.blogspot.com/

Laurie:
http://www.scrapsfromthebeach.com/

Operation Write Home Memorial Day Blog Hop - THANK YOU says it all!

Based on Operation Write Home Sketch #172.

Products used:
Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo papers and chipboard

American Craft brad

Basic Grey alphabet stickers

Happy 50th!

no actual scrapbooking, but I did get a card done for a big boss at work. this is VERY loosely based on the Operation Write Home Sketch #172.

Products used:

Cosmo Cricket paper and tag

We Are Memory Keepers ribbon

Making Memories stamp and leather photo corner

Bazzill bosher

Karen Foster brad

Quickutz



Swap Round 2 - Month 3

oh my goodness! if it hadn't been for the all day crop on Saturday, I would have done NO scrapbooking for the entire month of April! as it was, I ended up doing the minimal to meet my monthly goals: 2 layouts + 2 cards for Operation Write Home and the cards for the swap.

of course no "before" photo. I am so forgetful!!

the first card is a circle so I of course die cut another circle to go in it! I added a sticker I won in the crop drawing. the colors were a perfect match!

the green butterflies were included in the kit. I decimated one to create my greeting for this card.

I feel like this was my most creative card. I used the die cut card to form a frame around my birdcage sticker. I am sure I am not the first to think of this, but I felt pretty clever on Saturday!

this last one has a totally different feel to it. very masculine. all I added to the kit was the little brads and the Thickers.

odd for me,I didn't use a sketch for any of the cards.

be sure to go see what everyone else did with the kit!

Arlyn:

scrapperal.blogspot.com

Katie:
http://www.2craftykaties.blogspot.com/

Peggy:
http://myviewfromthebleachers.blogspot.com/

Wendy:
http://shesgonecrafty.blogspot.com/

Laurie:
http://www.scrapsfromthebeach.com/

Swap Round 2 Month 2

MY TURN!!!! I had the fun of designing this month's kit!!

did I take a photo of the kit? oh heck no! why would I do that? sheesh!! (sorry!) but here is a list of the items included:

the first card used the My Favorite Things stamps from the Operation Write Home fundraiser and is based on Sketch #165. please note how I used the nifty idea from the OWH Stamp Surgery tutorial on this poor bunny's ears! I added the purple heart brad to the kit contents.

it seemed weird to find a muted color combination amongst all those bright colors....but that is what happened with this next card. I just loved the blue, lilac, and peach colors and wanted to stick with them. I used a grey pen to outline everything to make it a bit more subtle than black would have been and added some alphabet stickers from a different Basic Grey line. I think this is my favorite card from the kit......which, if you know me, is odd. I like 'em bright!

at the other end of the spectrum, I am the most disappointed in this card. I had such high hopes for that awesome Jenni Bowlin journaling block die cut! but I just couldn't get it to do anything! (wonder if the other girls had better luck??) I enjoyed making my fun bow but even that couldn't save this poor doomed card! have you read "Like Water for Chocolate"? the food tastes like how the girl feels when she is cooking it. I really hope my frustration and disappointment are not sent along with this card.

similar to the blue and peach card, I loved this paper and after being so frustrated with the previous card, I just kinda threw this one together. I think the pretty little flowers (which I added to the kit) add a simple sophistication to the card. and aren't pink and orange all the rage these days? funny since this paper collection is 5 years old?!?!

after completing my cards I realized I had yet to use one of my favorite patterns in the kit. I had wanted to do a sunburst patterned card and was saving it for that. I figured I could use leftover strips to make it.....but then didn't. so I went to one of my favorite OWH sketches #154 and put together a couple more cards in time to mail out before the Mother's Day deadline! I added the big flowers and the brads for the lefthand card.

now go see what the other ladies did with my kit!!

Arlyn:

scrapperal.blogspot.com

Katie:
http://www.2craftykaties.blogspot.com/

Peggy:
http://myviewfromthebleachers.blogspot.com/

Wendy:
http://shesgonecrafty.blogspot.com/

Laurie:
http://www.scrapsfromthebeach.com/

A few more cards....

I had noticed a mention over at Operation Write Home about some digital images for each of the states. As California seems to be the largest contributor of cards I figured there would be a California digi. There was! But they aren't available on the site anymore. Thankfully, Paula was awesome enough to send them to me.

This card was my first attempt at using watercolor pencils and my blending pen (it has been many many years). Not perfect.....and not as bright as the poppies seem to be this year. But I am thankful that she shared the image with me. I want to play with it and resize it to be more versatile!

Products used:
Scenic Route Paper
Bazzill Basic brads
SU! watercolor pencils

this card was for a co-workers baby shower. the fact that it is done at all is a miracle! I had one night after a long busy business trip to complete it. I think it came out rather nice. (if I say so myself! lol!) the giraffe was based on a couple coloring pages I found online. instead of cutting out spots, I used a heart punch. I outlined the giraffe in dark brown and used grey for the rest of the card to help him stand out......like the googlie eyes didn't already do that! lol!

Products used:

Basic Grey papers and sticker

Spellbinder die

unknown felt brad

This last card was for a friend's son who is battling (and winning against) cancer. I wanted it rough and tumble boy. I scraplifted a card from the Operation Write Home featured card maker Tanya B. obviously I am a keen fan of threes! Also got to use my new stamps from Studio2le and conversation bubble punch!

Products used:
Piggy Tales paper

Junkitz

Studio 2le stamp

Another sympathy card......

despite the obvious reasons for disliking making these cards..... I never know what to say!

based on the Operation Write Home Sketch #162, this card is a sympathy card but I didn't want it to be all dark. I hope the pink doesn't make it too light and cheerful.

Products used:

SEI
Prima flowers
Lasting Impressions brads
2 different QK alphas
border punch

March crop weekend

lucky for me (and my scrap goals) I started off the month of March with a 2 days crop. theoretically 24 hours of scrap time........so actually about 18?? I got there late, I left early, I took happy hour and brunch breaks. you get the idea. but I had a great time with old friends and made some new ones too!!

6th GRADE

made from a Scrapdango kit and based on one of their sample layouts. I'll add the teacher's name to the "notes" block......once I remember what it was.

 

and with the leftovers.....this lovely card!

 

with the same kit, I made this layout for the older boy, same year. I figured they would look nice next to each other.  this one started as a scraplift from a sample but ended up nothing like it.

 

and another card using the scraps and a sticker from the kit.

another kit from Scrapdango. has only taken me more than year to start using them, but it is nice to have the coordinated papers and embellishments!

and a super quick card with a border sticker and paper scraps.

 

a 5K I did with R on Valentine's Day. we didn't go as crazy as some people but did sport a little holiday spirit. I covered up some of the design on this patterned cardstock and trimmed the edge so I could mat it on the red to make it stand out more. I will journal in the spot underneath the heart.

 

ended up using a Heidi Swap ghost arrow and slicing it in half behind the heart. this card is a great example of creating a focal point on your card (just look at that huge heart highlighting the phrase!) that they taught us about in Operation Write Home's Focal Point Boot Camp.

 

and I saw this die cut on the sheet and couldn't resist another card. a quick but fun feeling card. I hope it is sent to someone special!

this page is from this month's Close to My Heart class. it started as a 2 pager but I didn't need both pages because I love these photos with these colors. these are the last photos of Nana with me and the boys. 

 

so of course I made a Mother's Day card with the extras from the page I didn't use!

 

the other CTMH kit which I also made into a one pager. poor Tessa is so old and grey! I never noticed it at the time but now it is so obvious.

and of course a card with the leftovers!

Layouts: 6

Cards:
OWH: 7 (plus 12 more made by wonderful ladies at the crop)

PURCHASING (mostly done at the crop weekend)
1 cardstock
10 patterned paper
4 QK dies
2 8x8 pads of paper
2 12x12paper packs
4 sets of stickers
1 set of flair 
1 roll washi tape
1 package of wood veneers
1 embossing template

6 sets Junkitz alphabetz
3 stamp sets

USAGE (excluding the CTMH page kits since I didn’t include them as purchases)
cardstock: 11
patterned paper: 7
3D alphas: 16
brads: 25
flowers: 3
alpha stickers: 14
stickers: 8
rub-ons: 1
die cut alphas: 3
punches: 8
misc: 12
ink: 6
pens: 1

Scrap Accountability - Month 2

so I really need to slow down on the purchasing. with that said, I seem to be buying non-consumables so that gives me some level of comfort......or a good excuse! lol! I also have a rew "enroute" purchases that will have to be counted in March.

 Layouts: 4

Cards:
OWH 25

PURCHASING
4 QK alphas
10 QK dies
5 "other" dies
2 embossing templates
2 dimensional adhesives
2 stamp sets
1 rub-on set

USAGE
cardstock: 12 (because i don't count the card bases)
patterned paper: 24
3D alphas: 21
buttons: 6
brads: 53 (wowee!)
flowers: 15
ribbon: 3
alpha stickers: 12
stickers: 2
rub-ons: 1
die cut alphas: 7
die cut shapes: 14 (see.....I am getting good use out of those QK and other die purchases!)
punches: 20
misc: 15
ink: 9
pens: 5

Swap Round 2 Month 1

Back to the Card Kit Swap for another round! Arlyn started us off again with this awesome kit! (thanks for the picture Peggy!)

Some great papers from Basic Grey, A2Z, etc. Doilies, washii tape, tags, tickets, ribbon, brads, etc. 

The lighting seems off on this first card but the colors are a super dark brown, a mint green, and cream. I added the QK cut sentiment and the Prima flower. The rest was from the kit.

This was the one oddball paper in the kit, but I love this Basic Grey classic! It also went well with the star washii tape. I used the one blue brad in the package and added my own Prima star and Basic Grey alphabet stickers. This card is very loosely based on Sketch #159 from Operation Write Home.

This card went back to the mint, dark brown, and black and whites in the kit. All I added were the Thickers for "mom." I used the February 17th sketch from My Sketch World.

And, you have seen this last one before. I didn't tell you then, but it came from the kit! I added the Prima flower, grey brads, and the sentiment. 

Now take a moment and go see what great cards everyone else made with the kit!

Arlyn:
scrapperal.blogspot.com

Katie:
http://www.2craftykaties.blogspot.com/

Peggy:
http://myviewfromthebleachers.blogspot.com/

Wendy:
http://justwen.blogspot.com/

Laurie:
http://www.scrapsfromthebeach.com/

March is my month! I've got a fun little kit put together and can't wait to see what everyone makes with it!


USAGE: (other than items in the kit)
cardstock: 2
3D alphas: 3
brads: 2
flowers: 2
die cut alphas: 2
alphabet stickers: 3

misc embellishments: 1