Popcorn the Bear for ODBD/OWH December Challenge with Hero Arts Sentiment

This card was made for the December Challenge for Our Daily Bread Designs/ OWH.  It is the Popcorn the Bear "Thanks a Bunch" rubber stamp from Crafter's Companion/Stampworkz. Popcorn is colored with Spectrum Noir Pens (TN2, TN4, & TN6) and the flowers were several of the Coral Reds. 

After doing a little "fussy cutting" around Popcorn and the flowers, I layered the image on white, hunter green card stock and orange polka dot paper from Michael's Recollections Paper Pack.  The sentiment was made from an alphabet set from Hero Arts (Fanciful Swirl Alphabet), and I added a little green satin ribbon on the bottom. 

Spectrum Noir Alcohol Pens can be found at my favorite on-line craft store....

http://www.shopbeecreative.com/Spectrum-Noir-Alcohol-Marker-Set--First-72-Colors_p_146.html

Popcorn the Bear "Smile"

Popcorn the Bear "Smile" rubber stamp colored with Spectrum Noir, layered on Navy blue card stock with a little red rick rack ribbon. 

Popcorn the Bear

Popcorn the Bear "Party Time" rubber stamp from Crafter's Companion colored with Spectrum Noir. 

This card is layered on green card stock and I added a couple of sparkle gems. Spectrum Noir works great to change the color of the sparkles. You can color directly on the sparkle to achieve the color you wish. This sparkle gem started out as a clear or silver looking one, but a little JG1 (Jade Green 1) turned it exactly the color I needed. 

Spectrum Noir Alcohol pens can be found here at my favorite on-line craft store:

http://www.shopbeecreative.com/Spectrum-Noir-Alcohol-Marker-Set--First-72-Colors_p_146.html

Snowman Family

These two cards were made with the same Snowman Family rubber stamp (sorry, it is an old acrylic block stamp with no company name on it).  The snowflakes were paper punched using two different size punches.  Both were colored with Spectrum Noir Pens found at my favorite on-line craft store ShopBeeCreative.com.  Here is a link to these fun pens:
http://www.shopbeecreative.com/Spectrum-Noir-Alcohol-Marker-Set--First-72-Colors_p_146.html

Fall Cards

This card was made using paper punched leaves with distressed edges on top of a nice Autumn leaves paper.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

This card uses the same Autumn leaves paper but this time with a sentiment from Our Daily Bread Designs.

What's Up?

This card was made using a technique found on YouTube by KelleyODBD.  Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCldMjuLgyE&list=UUSI3HvX0O4HPqizYu_u3k7A&index=1&feature=plcp

Cards Inspired by the Farm

The Heartland Rubber Stamp is from Stamper's Best and I colored it with Spectrum Noir Alcohol pens found at my favorite on-line craft store:

http://www.shopbeecreative.com/Spectrum-Noir-Alcohol-Marker-Set--First-72-Colors_p_146.html

The "I miss you" sentiment is from a Hero Arts OWH set. 

Our Daily Bread Designs August OWH Challenge

 Here is s card for the August ODBD/OWH Challenge for masculine cards.

My Cowboy was colored with Spectrum Noir pens found at my favorite on-line craft store:
http://www.shopbeecreative.com/Spectrum-Noir-Alcohol-Marker-Set--First-72-Colors_p_146.html

More Cards!

This is just a little card I made for a friend who was sick.  The Chicken is from Stamper's Best.

In order to keep up with some card making while on vacation, I put together 44 patchwork quilt cards at home but completed all the hand stitching on them while riding in the car between California and Washington State.

This card was made using the Bicycle Stamp from Our Daily Bread Designs found here:
http://ourdailybreaddesigns.com/Bicycle.html

The sentiment stamp is from Hero Arts (an Operation Write Home set of course.)

The Bicycle was colored with Spectrum Noir pens found at my favorite on-line craft store:
http://www.shopbeecreative.com/Spectrum-Noir-Alcohol-Marker-Set--First-72-Colors_p_146.html

"Our Daily Bread Designs" -Bicycle

This card was made using an"Our Daily Bread Designs" Bicycle rubber stamp found here:
http://ourdailybreaddesigns.com/Bicycle.html

I colored the image with Spectrum Noir Pens found at my favorite on-line craft store here:
http://www.shopbeecreative.com/Pens--Alcohol-Other_c_11.html

I love these Alcohol pens, it makes it possible to blend colors so easily (and I am still working on my coloring technique--I am a complete amateur!)

The sentiment is from a Hero Arts stamp set that benefits Operation Write Home.

OBD/OWH June Challenge "Shaped Cards"

This card was made for the June "Our Daily Bread Designs" Challenge with Operation Write Home. The challenge was to make a "shaped" card, so I chose to make this little fishing vest. OWH has a great tutorial on how to make the basic vest, and then you can embellish it any way you like.

Here is a link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjSipCeIo9M&feature=plcp

Once I chose papers for the vest, the pockets, and the trim, then the fun began with embellishments. I popped the pockets with dimensional tape and did some hand stitching around the arm holes with embroidery thread.

I printed the word "License" from a Word document, cut it out to about a 1/2 inch, and distressed the whole thing (I have heard these things have to be carried around every time they fish...) Then I slipped it partially in the top pocket.

I made little fishing lures out of brads and more thread (just tied a knot in the end of the thread, snipped the end close, and while it was still on the needle poked it through the pocket.) I used some clear stretchy beading elastic as extra fishing line.  I think the real thing could have worked too, but I did not have any handy.

Then I used a few brass colored brads for buttons down the front and I distressed around the edges of the whole thing. When I mounted it on the card front I put a scrap of the plaid liner paper in the neck area to cover the white card stock it is mounted on.

 Have fun trying this one! Thank you Operation Write Home for the inspiration video!

Stamper's Best Heartland Rubber Stamp

This card was made using a Stamper's Best rubber stamp called "Heartland". Here is a link to where you can find it:
https://www.stampersbest.com/product.php?productid=175&cat=0&page=1

I colored it with Spectrum Noir pens and used the blender pen to make the barn look weathered.  The Spectrum Noir pens are alcohol pens and give you the ability to blend colors so nicely. I found them here at my favorite on-line craft store:
http://www.shopbeecreative.com/Pens-Stamping_c_11.html

After stamping and coloring the image, I cut out the image along the top of the barn/tree/land and darkened the edge with a black marker.

Then I used some blue ink from a stamp pad triangle set to create the blue sky on white card stock. I attached the colored image to the sky, cut it into a rectangle shape, and layered it on brown card stock. It is hard to see here, but it gave the tree/land/barn edge a little extra dimension.

I also cut strips of red paper (by Recollections at Michaels, it has little brown specs in it), and I distressed the edges of each strip in a dark brown ink. The strips are adhered to brown card stock, then layered on cream paper. A little more layering with brown and red, a few bronze colored bards in the corners, and a little brown polka dot ribbon finished it off.

Trucks and Cars Birthday Card

This card was made using some cool truck/car paper from Reminisce and some great car stickers.

Our Daily Bread Designs May Challenge for Operation Write Home

The ODBD's May challenge is to use any five elements (to celebrate Cinco De Mayo) so this card was made using 1.)layers of paper, 2.) ribbon, 3.) a die-cut circle, 4.) a brad, and 5.) birthday stickers found on my favorite craft supply website here: http://www.shopbeecreative.com/Sticker-Sheet--Happy-Icons-Words_p_113.html

Thinking of You Owl

This card was made using a rubber stamp from Stamper's Best "Hoot Owl Set", colored with Spectrum Noir colors. The "Thinking of You" stamp is from Hero Arts OWH set found here: http://shop.heroarts.com/products/productdetail/Year+Round+Sentiments/part_number=CL582/1571.0.1.1.1007703.0.0.0.0?pp=12&

Stamper's Best Ciara in Camouflage

This card was made using Operation Write Home's mascot Ciara with a rubber stamp from Stamper's Best. The "I Miss You" sentiment is from Hero Arts OWH stamp set.

Pretty as a Princess

These two cards were made using cool stickers found on shopbeecreative.com You can find them here: http://www.shopbeecreative.com/SALE-Sticker-Sheet--Princess_p_116.html

Patchwork Quilt Style Cards (using Scraps!)

These cards were all made using the little bits of paper that I just could not toss. As long as I can cut a one and one sixteenth inch square out of it, I can use it.

I start with a regular A2 size card front, often out of paper that is not my favorite, but sometimes just with white card stock (the heavier it is the easier it is to stitch through.) I take all my scraps and select five or six that coordinate somewhat, and I love ones that look like an old time fabric. I cut the scraps into squares that are 1 1/16th inch and then the fun begins with arranging them on the card front.

I keep the idea of a grandmother's quilt from long ago in my mind for inspiration (when they used to use up old clothing scraps.) I use adhesive to attach the squares to the card front. I try to put the squares close together so the paper below does not show through when it does not match, but sometimes it is nice to see a border around all the squares when it does match.

Then I use my piercing tool to poke holes all around the outside edge of the card, about an 1/8 inch from the edge. I also pierce holes around all the squares so that I can stitch between them (again thinking of the olden days doing hand stitching, so it does not have to be perfect.) The more holes you pierce, the more detailed the card will be.

Then I use embroidery thread to hand stitch around the whole thing. I love the variegated threads (if they match the papers somewhat) because seeing the lighter and darker shades of the thread adds to the texture of the card.

Have fun using up your scraps!

Through the trees...

This card was made using scraps, my favorite thing to do (just don't like wasting paper.) Everything was layered with olive green and trees were stamped on top of the tree paper.

Birthday Cards

Here are some birthday cards.

This one was made for a friend who loves "Greeple", Green and Purple.

Cricut "Going Places"- Envelope

This card was made using a Cricut to makes the envelopes, printed wood grain paper, and some eyelets. The Cricut cartridge "Going Places" has the envelope outline and once cut, I glued the outlines onto contrasting papers. Operation Write Home asked for "Brown cards", so this was one of my creations .

Stampers Best "Single Scoop Double Take"

These are just funny to me...the loud shorts always make me smile. These two cards were made with Stampers Best "Single Scoop Double Take" stamp, some colorful paper, and some white card stock inked on the edges in blue and green.

Mickey Mouse Gang Anytime Card

This card was made using Best Creation Inc. papers, some Disney alphabet stickers and one of the Disney Characters, and some Baker's Twine.

Patriotic Thank you Card

This card was created using an old image (not even sure where it came from), distressed (inked) white paper to get the blue on the top edges and the red on the bottom, and some Baker's Twine.

Stampers Best- Cards for Dads

These cards were made using rubber stamps from Stampers Best, one of my favorite companies. They are so quick and efficient with purchases on-line. This first one is "Cowboy at Heart"

This one is "Band of Brothers".

This one is "Rusty Truck".

Recollections "Elegance" paper cards

These cards were made using Recollections "Elegance" papers in Black and White.

Pooh and Friends are SWEET

These cards were made using stickers, layers of paper, ribbon and brads.

A Little Whimsical Thank You Card

This card was made using SRM Stickers "We've Got Your Border #57004 Thank you" in the Spring 2012.

I chose papers to match the colors of the little flags and then made a fence out of card stock. I distressed the edges of each fence post with Color Box Ink in "Mudslide".

I stamped the sheep in the same "Mudslide" ink color and cut a slit around his little face so it could slide over the fence. The sheep is an older EZMount Stamp by Sunday International.

A Simple Card of Printed Paper

I made this card using one of OWH's suggestions of taking two sheets of printed paper, one for the background, and the other for the images. I cut out the images and popped (using dimensional adhesives) them on the card. I also enhanced the leaves by adding a little more green ink because this image was so soft. Then I mounted the card on Black Card Stock.

Father's Day Fishing Vest

This card was made for OWH and is my little fishing vest. I used mesh netting (using the bag found around the Cutie Oranges) to cover the bottom pockets. I did a little stitching around the arms, added some "lures" of colorful brads and frayed embroidery floss, and distressed the edges of the pockets and vest with brown ink. To make the Best Dad button, I mounted the printed image on black card stock and then used scissors to distress and raise the edge to give it a dimensional look. And of course, it was made in the USA.

Here is a link to the Operation Write Home tutorial on YouTube for how to make this vest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjSipCeIo9M&feature=plcp

Mickey Mouse Quilt Style Card

This card uses scraps of Disney paper, stitching, and a couple of Mickey eyelets.

Thank You Dad card

This card features an original saying, layers of paper, ribbon, brads, and a tag.

Mickey Birthday 2

This card features a Mickey Sticker, Disney Paper, and Mickey Eyelets.

Patch Work Quilt Father's Day Card

This card was made using scraps of 1 inch squares (4x5), arranged and then stitched on the edges with light blue embroidery floss.