More cards for kids and crochet projects

Hello again! I've been busy making more cards to send out to Send A Smile 4 Kids (SAS4Kids) so they can deliver them to kiddos in the hospital. All but two of the 163 cards in this box were Christmas. I had fun coloring many of them and said a little prayer with each stroke of the pencil. It's tough being sick, but for kiddos to be in the hospital at Christmastime has got to be very difficult. It is my prayer that these cards will bring a little smile to each face that sees them. Pictures were removed from the source (Flickr), so I'll have to find a new host for them. A crocheted hooded cowl for a friend undergoing treatment for cancer. The center where she goes in Chicago has a huge aquarium in the lobby where she and her husband had posed as fish on a previous visit. With colder temps coming I thought this would help keep her head warm and made her promise to pose wearing it by the aquarium. Isn't she beautiful! This next project and I had a love-hate relationship and it's left me with mixed feelings because I'm not sure what to do with it. I crocheted a beautiful afghan called "Lover of my Soul" by a wonderful South African woman, Hilda Stein. I purchased it online through Ravelry. Instead of buying the yarn from her I used some of the gazillion skeins of yarn that I've accumulated throughout the years. The love part of it is the colors, pattern, texture and memories the various yarn stir up (some came from my mom). The hate part is due to the fact that I can't use it as a bedspread because afghans and terrier claws are mortal enemies. I might use it under the comforter when it gets colder, but am afraid the weight of it might be rather cumbersome. On the other hand I've heard good things about using weighted blankets as a calming mechanism, so just might give it a try. Oh the conundrums of having to decide!

So what's next you ask? I'm determined to learn how to knit socks! Yes, you heard that right. Oh and it will be done with these microscopically minuscule knitting needles that I don't even know how to hold. I mean the needle I use to weave in ends on my crochet projects is three times thicker than these little babies. They are a size 1 and 2 if that means anything to you. I've heard there are a ton of tutorials on YouTube, so wish me luck! Any suggestions are more than welcome!

What have you all been working on lately?

Posted with Blogsy

Halloween Card for Send a Smile 4 Kids

Long time no see again, huh? I have a card to share today that is being entered in a challenge for Send a Smile 4 Kids. The pumpkins on the background paper are glittery and really pop off the page. I thought the pumpkin stamp would make a child smile and that's what they need while in the hospital. As a side note, I ended up with a few cards that can't be sent to this group because they don't fit the criteria ("trick or treat", "BOO", candy, etc.), so if you know of any groups accepting this type of card please leave me a note in the comments.

Operation Write Home Sketch Challenge #220

This week's OWH sketch challenge was fun because it didn't require any special measurements, just pretty much eyeballing everything. Today I received a thank you note on an OWH card from a Lieutenant Colonel in Ft Leonardwood, Missouri. It was absolutely the MOST perfect timing because that was my father's first official active duty station in the late 50's where he served as an Army Drill Sergeant. He retired after 21 years and I had the distinct pleasure of serving with him for a couple of those years in Germany. I'll be making a memorial post for him as soon as I'm up to it. He took his last breath on Saturday, April 12th and we're still in the midst of preparing for his memorial service. Making cards has always been very therapeutic for me and certainly helped me get through this day! Please keep my mom in your prayers. They were both living in the same nursing home and she slips in and out of alzheimers, but is aware of his death. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Until I can get myself together enough to do a memorial post, here are a few pictures of my father.

With Mom wearing showing their support for the military troops.

Dad (on left) in Vietnam

Dad in his khakis

Dad at Ft Leonardwood

My Volksmarch hero!

My daughter's hero!

Dad and I

Posted with Blogsy

Operation Write Home Cards

I have three cards to share with you today. I just mailed a big box of cards to Operation Write Home and have already gotten started on the next box. Every so often I decide to join a challenge or two and today I did three. The first is from their Midweek Throwdown Challenge which was to use purple and yellow. I love those two colors together, so this was really quite fun. I had saved a piece of purple shimmery paper from a wedding invitation that was just too pretty to throw away. Unfortunately my husband didn't realize I was saving it for a card and used it to write some notes. AAACKKKK!!!! Luckily there was enough clear space around the edges that I could cover his writing with some awesome yellow handmade paper left over from another project. Add a few flowers and hand stamp the word "sister" and Voila! Here ya go:

Next comes a card with a sad note connected to it. I didn't know her, but one of the Operation Write Home fellow cardmakers passed away last week and in her honor they asked us to copy (CASE) one of her designs.

The last one is today's sketch challenge #118.

 

Posted with Blogsy

OWH Sketch Midweek Throwdown

This card is being entered in the Operation Write Home (OWH) midweek throwdown which is asking us to use circles in our design. I've had these stamped and die cut images for a very long time and finally got around to coloring them. I don't know the name of the stamp set because they belong to someone else, but I know they are Stampin Up and probably retired by now.

Posted with Blogsy

OWH Sketch Challenge #211

While continuing my own challenge to use up the majority of my excess stash of cardmaking supplies I often come across the opportunity to participate in a challenge. Most of the cards that I make are destined for soldiers serving overseas via the awesome group called Operation Write Home. They issue challenges every week and this Sunday their sketch challenge is to follow the sketch below. You can join the challenge to at their blog.

Here's my card using paper from my stash and a digital sentiment that I created.

OWH Cards for kids

I've been busy filling another large flat rate box with greeting cards for Operation Write Home (OWH). This week's challenge is to make cards for kids. I had a few stamped images (borrowed from a friend ages ago, but thing the little girl is a Penny Black stamp) and some digis that seemed to fit the bill. Here are two of the cards that I made. Oh the paper behind the little girl is printed to look like denim jeans. The sunshine stamp is from Stampin Up!

Red and Black Cards

I've been keeping busy making cards for Operation Write Home and Split Coast Stampers Cards for a Cause. I'm still convinced that the paper has parties in the middle of the night and just keeps reproducing because no matter how many cards I make (we're talking HUNDREDS!) the piles of paper don't get any smaller. It's been fun and it's for a great couple of causes. Here's two that I made recently that are my favorites. I love the contract between the red and black.

Posted with Blogsy

Red and Black Cards

I've been keeping busy making cards for Operation Write Home and Split Coast Stampers Cards for a Cause. I'm still convinced that the paper has parties in the middle of the night and just keeps reproducing because no matter how many cards I make the piles of paper don't get any smaller. It's been fun and it's for a great couple of causes. Here's two that I made recently.

Most of the paper is from my stash. The punches are all Stampin Up!

More cards for a cause

Yesterday I packed up 148 cards and homemade envelopes to be sent out on Saturday to a group called Send Love Today. They will use these cards to send to people who have brain tumors and cancer ass a way to cheer them up. I must say that I surprised myself when I saw how many actually got done because I've been floating around in a daze for the past month or so and can barely keep my eyes open most of the time. I'm assuming this is just a symptom of my fibromyalgia, but have never had it this bad before. I take what I refer to as my "awake pill" every morning for narcolepsy, but that usually wears off before noon, sometimes even before 9:30 and I don't like taking another one because then I don't sleep as well that night. This week I started taking something for adrenal fatigue and hope to see some results soon. In the meantime I'll keep knocking out these cards to help stay awake before bedtime! Oh if anyone reads this and has some suggestions I'd love to hear them!

Here are some shots of stacks of cards before packing.

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

OWH Birthday Bash 2013

I made the card below for the Operation Write Home Birthday Bash 2013. They have great instructional videos, pdf files and other information that will enhance your cardmaking skills. You can join the fun too by clicking on the link on the sidebar ---------->>>>

Products used to make this card:
Stamps from My Favorite Things Monkey Business (part of the OWH Birthday Bash 2013 kit)
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin Up! Classic Close to Cocoa, Versamark (the watermark bananas on the blue circle)
Prismacolor and Staedtler watercolor pencils
Stampin Up! blender pen
Fiskars 2" circle punch
EK Success 2 1/4" scalloped circle punch
Bella! Ribbonz (part of the OWH Birthday Bash 2013 kit)
Paper and cardstock from my stash

A couple of cards for Send Love Today, a SCS Cards for a Cause

I've been holed up in my craft room all weekend and evenings for a few days making cards for the Split Coast Stampers Cards for a Cause challenge. I haven't taken many pictures yet, but here's a couple of the cards. The group for this month is called Send Love Today. It's a group that sends cards and small gifts to individuals with brain tumors. As I've been making these cards I tried to design some that would be good for sending to men and think the two below would be good for that.

OWH VCMP Card #9 and the end of the party!

Wow can you believe that we've come to the end of the two-day Virtual Card Making Party? Me neither! It's been fun and has given me loads of new ideas and inspiration.

OWH VCMP Card #9 challenge is to make a card using the negative of a die or punch. I used a large Stampin Up flower punch on the front of the card, then adhered white card stock to the inside of the card with a dragonfly stamped on it. When making cards using dark card stock we always adhere white or light colored paper to the inside so the heroes have something to write on, keeping in mind that some only have a pencil and that wouldn't show up at all on dark paper. You can visit the host of this challenge here and see cards made by other partiers.

OWH VCMP Card #8

OWH VCMP Card #8 challenge is to make a card with an image of a bee and a sentiment that plays on the word bee. When I was working on the 6th challenge I noticed a cute bee in the stamp set which shall go unnamed because quite honestly, well there isn't a manufacturer's name anywhere on the acrylic stamp sheet. Anyway, there was also some matching sentiments and the one I picked was just perfect! You can visit the host of this challenge here and see cards made by other partiers.

OWH VCMP Card #7

OWH VCMP Card #7 challenge is to make a fall themed card without being for Thanksgiving. I've always wanted to try the emboss resist technique and when I saw the sample card by the host of this challenge here I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

OWH VCMP Card #6

The OWH VCMP Card #6 challenge is to make cards for kids using the tic-tac-toe board below. We had to choose three items in a row and I selected things with wings, stamping and using punches (the small red stars).

Now on to the next challenge!

OWH VCMP Sketch Challenge #188

Good morning everyone! I've got a busy morning today because my grandson is getting baptized and family gathers afterwards, but I had a tiny bit of time to get one card done before leaving.

This card is part of the Operation Write Home Labor Day Virtual Card Making Party (OWH VCMP) and follows Sketch #188.

See you again later!

OWH VCMP Card #5

Card #5 for the OWH VCMP is a masking tape background card. You can find many other cards for this challenge here.

I made a couple different cards, one with regular white card stock and the other with watercolor paper. Can you tell which is which? I used the Stampin Up Sprinkled Expressions stamps.

OWH VCMP Card #4

Card #4 for the OWH VCMP is a love card. You can find many other cards for this challenge here.

OWH VCMP Card #3

Card #3 for the OWH VCMP uses a triple layer technique cut from dies. I don't have the oblong dies used in the examples, so dug out what I had and came up with this card. You can find many other cards along with the original tutorial here.