Cajun Fishing

I had a lot of fun with the OWH World Card Making Blog Hop.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by and left messages on my blog. All of the cards were great and the best part is that the heroes will have some fabulous cards to send home to their loved ones.

I am using the OWH Card Sketch #193 for my card today.  For the color I found some inspiration on Dynamic Duos.  At first Cajun Craze and Island Indigo seemed like a stretch for me, but then I found a way to combine them that made sense to me.

 

I used the stamp set By the Tide.  I stamped the coral/seaweed with Cajun Craze ink at full strength at the bottom of the Very Vanilla card layer then stamped off twice to create the background.  I stamped the fish in Island Indigo twice (stamped off once).  I added a Cajun Craze and Island Indigo layer behind the stamping and then attached the whole thing to a Crumb Cake card base.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

All items Stampin' Up unless noted

Stamp: By the Tide, A Dozen Thoughts

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Island Indigo

Ink:  Cajun Craze, Island Indigo, Early Espresso

Other:  Regal Candy Dots, Island Indigo Baker's Twine

WCMD Bloghop

It is World Card Making Day!!  What a great day to make cards.  Of course if you need a little inspiration to get started, OWH is hosting a Blog Hop today.  Check out this link to see more great cards.  Here is the sketch that I selected for today:  OWH Sketch 145

I started out making one thank you card, but then I couldn't stop.  The colors in the designer series paper I selected just inspired me to try other combinations.  The layout is fairly simple, but I just love the way they turned out.  I can't pick a favorite - they are all bright and colorful.  Let me know which color you like the best in the comments below.

 

 

Thanks for visiting my blog.  I hope you feel inspired to create some cards for OWH today.

All items Stampin' Up unless noted

Stamp: Five-Way Flower, Regarding Dahlias
Paper:  Melon Mambo, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Whisper White, Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper

Ink:  Melon Mambo, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black
Other:  2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch, Basic Jewel Rhinestones

Virtual Card Making Party - Challenge 1

Over Labor Day weekend, Operation Write Home (OWH) hosted a Virtual Card Making Party (VCMP).  During the weekend, they posted challenges to get your card making mojo going, learn a few new techniques, and most importantly, make cards for the heroes that serve this country.

I wasn't able to participate over the weekend.  However, the challenges are still open this week and I really wanted to play along.  Here is the first challenge (posted by Nancy Keller at Scrap Happens):

"My challenge is to make a winter or Christmas themed card for OWH following a sketch!"

Here is my card.  The squares are cut at 1".  This was a fun technique.  It uses up scraps and creates a nice layout for the card.

 

 

All Items Stampin' Up unless noted

Stamp:  Christmas Collectibles (131775), Greetings of the Season (128033)

Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Island Indigo, Winter Frost Specialty DSP (132341)

Ink:  Island Indigo, Versamark

Other:  Basic Jewel Rhinestones (119246), Silver Embossing Powder, Christmas Ornament Punch 

Revved up for a Challenge

Today I took on a challenge from Operation Write Home.  This is an organization that collects handmade cards and sends them to deployed service members.  In an age where communication is almost instantaneous with emails, Skype, etc. this is a way for heroes to keep in touch with home in a more personalized way - through handwritten cards.

Even with sketch challenges, sometimes it may be difficult to determine the exact size of the various elements.  OWH makes it easy - they include measurements.  Maybe that isn't your style, but when you are just starting out, it can be difficult to judge how big a layer may need to be or how they are proportioned to each other.

Here is the sketch for today - OWH Challenge 187:

I have been meaning to use one of the newer sets from Stampin' Up - Rev Up the Fun!!  With all the men/boys in my life, this was a must have.  Hope you enjoy my card.

All Items Stampin' Up unless noted

Stamp:  Rev Up the Fun, Bo Bunny Geometric Patterns Stamp

Paper:  Real Red, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White

Ink:  Real Red, Basic Black

Other:  Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine