Stars & Stamps sketch #110

Before Valentine's Day I had been playing with this cool stamp from Purple Onion Designs. Hadn't made a card with it but when I saw the sketch this week on the Stars and Stamps blog I knew right away I was going to use the panel I'd made. The ribbon and silk cording have been in my stash for ever. The faux heart buttons are thick watercolor paper die cut using the smallest Spellbinder heart die. Usually it takes me forever to make a new card but this one came together in a snap.

S&S sketch challenge #109

It has been ages since I did a sketch challenge for the Stars and Stripes blog. The base of this card is piece of faux paste paper I made long ago. I love the bright colors and texture. The bird collage stamp is from Art Journey, the sentiment from the dollar bin at Michaels.

It was fun to do a S&S sketch again!

Stars and Stamps Sketch # 37

I've missed a week or so but here is this week's sketch card. Sort of vintage and masculine.

Stars and Stamps sketch #35 and challenge

Here is this week's sketch from OWH's Stars and Stamps blog. In addition to making the sketch I also went for Barb's challenge. http://papertherapyponderings.blogspot.com/2010/09/monday-september-20-2010.html Purple, penguin, and holiday card on moldie old paper for OWH. You didn't have to do all the challenges but I couldn't resist. The penguin is an old digital freebie and I am very sorry to admit I don't know who the artist is. Kinda cute though.

At first I couldn't think of any penguin stamps I had but then I remembered these little guys from The Cat's Pajamas. Little goofballs! I added a sentiment from Hero Arts and a few Studio G snowflakes. The bottom layers are Cuttlebug embossed. I'm still happily using up the pack of purple stripe paper from Lasting Impressions I bought a least a year ago. Not sure if that is actually 'old'! ;-)

I've got an idea for another penguin holiday card so there may be more to come!

Stars and Stamps Sketch 34 Thank you

Here is this week's sketch from the OWH Stars and Stamps blog. They had the additional challenges of using yellow and making it a 'thank you' card. I actually have made about a half dozen cards from this sketch now but this was the first one I remembered to use yellow on and make it a 'thank you'. ;-P

The poppies are a digital image by Chrissy Le. The Thank You stamp is a Delta rubber stamp. I used a couple of Spellbinders dies on this one.

If you visit my blog over time you might have noticed I am wild about recycling stuff. On this card I used a worn out hot water bottle to stamp the background. Really!

Yolanda's digi challenge

Yolanda offered up a digital stamp she drew to challenge us to make cards for OWH.

http://yolanda-imaginemakeshare.blogspot.com/2010/09/happy-birthday-owh.html Well I didn't make mine into Any Hero cards so they don't fit the challenge but I think they will work as cards to mail home to family. The card uses the current Stars and Stamps sketch. Hooah!

Stars and Stamps sketch#32

This week's sketch from the OWH Stars and Stamps blog. So clean and simple that it really showcases the image. Love that!

This little monster is so fun to color! I used Twinkling H2Os and black embossing powder. A crackle stamp and distress ink on the background. I'm sorry to say I don't remember who made that fun little monster background paper. It came out some years ago. Wish I had more!

Turned the sketch 45 degrees for this one. I used acrylic paints on the background and die cut ends. Old unknown stamps. The howling coyote always makes me think of missing someone.

Last look at this sketch ;-) The carnation frame is a digital freebie from Bird's blog-
http://www.birdscards.com/Default.aspx?tabid=60 I just added the sentiment with the computer.

Stars and Stamps Sketch 31

Here is this week's sketch!

This vintage digital freebie seemed so fun to me. It is an unusual color but that made it a fun challenge to work with. The background is a stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms. Boy, I am so sorry they have gone out of business! The sentiment is Hero Arts.

Another digital freebie. I can't seem to get enough of them these days. It put me in mind of cool water which is completely welcome on these over 100 degree days. Delicious memories.

Stars and Stamps sketch challenge #30

Here is this week's sketch from OWH-s Stars and Stamps blog.

Last year I bought this Inkadinkado sentiment stamp too late to use it for any OWH Thanksgiving cards so I'm delighted to get to use it now. Used some punches and dies for the leaves (Cuttlebug), acorns, border strip (Martha Stewart). It was a fun one to make.

Stars & Stamps sketch #29

Here is this week's sketch from OWH's S&S blog.

This one also meets the Midweek Throwndown challenge, autumn & no sentiment. The cute little scarecrow is an older Studio G image.

This little guy is a digital freebie from Sliekje.
http://sliekje.blogspot.com/ She has lots of cute ones.

Stars and Stamps sketch #27

Here is this week's sketch from the OWH Stars and Stamps blog. I love the horizontal strips!

I combined 2 digital freebies on the front panel. The fairy is from
http://www.digitaltuesday.blogspot.com/ Cora has such wonderful vintage images! The sentiment is by Pauline on her blog-

http://createwithtlc-createwithtlc.blogspot.com/ Boy do I wish I had her talent at creating text art!

There is an actual rubber stamp used to make this card, LOL. It is from Hero Arts and is used as a resist on the vertical strip and tone on tone for the base. The image is colored with Prismacolor pencils and Distress inks for the edging, resist background and the base layer tone on tone. The strips are paper lace and ribbon.

Stars and Stamps sketch #27

Here is this week's sketch challenge from OWH's Stars and Stamps blog. I happen to think it is a particularly nice one ;-D Thanks Karen!

It just so happens I have a card ready made for this sketch. The Uncle Sam image is in the public domain and I added the sentiment in PSE. That fun ribbon I have had for years. It gets pulled out for patriotic holidays and thank you cards for our troops. The star embossing folder was a treat I bought myself when I could no longer resist it, lol.

You can see a couple more of my cards made with this sketch here-

http://www.owhstarsandstamps.org/2010/07/s-sketch-challenge-27.html

Stars and Stamps sketch 26

Here's this week's sketch from the OWH's Stars and Stamps blog. I missed getting one done from last week's sketch so am glad to have had the chance to do this one.

Love this Mo Manning digital stamp. Seems like there aren't lots of loving little boy designs out there so it was wonderful to find this one. It is perfect for a Back to School card from a Service Person to their much missed child.

Stars and Stamps sketch challenge #24

Here is this week's sketch.

I used one of the adorable digital images Sandy drew for the 4th of July Weekend OWH blog hop. Is this a sweet pup or what? As usual I colored with Prismacolor pencils. The sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp.

Stars and Stamps sketch #22

Here is this week's sketch which I love.

I know, it is the beginning of summer and I am making a back to school card! The image is a freebie from the Clearly Vintage blog. The word paper is a black printing on white core advertisement I ran through a Sizzix using one of their embossing plate before sanding off the raised black parts.

I'm sorry I can't remember where the pretty French label came from. The green print paper is DCWV. The blue background is stamped with a Cornish Heritage Farms scrapblock. The creamy 3 D sticker had just the right spot for a bit of bling.

101 posts!

I'm so surprised to find I have made 101 posts on this blog. Last year when I started it I had only the Memorial Day blog hop for Operation Write Home in mind. Guess blogging is more fun than I expected, lol.

This card uses the current sketch from the Stars and Stamps blog and another of the digital images Sandy created and shared during this years Memorial Day Weekend blog hop. Thanks Sandy!

Stars and Stamps sketch #21

Cool sketch, don't you think? For some reason it was an easy one for me which is always so nice.

Sandy, the president of Operation Write Home created a page of digi images for the Memorial Day Weekend blog hop including this sweet dog. Sandy's own Ciara was the inspiration for the digi and I wanted to give her a golden/red color. Long ago I made a bleached background sheet that I scanned and loaded on my computer. I used a piece of that scanned background to "color" Ciara. It was very fun! And today I pulled out an old piece of cardstock backed, dyed paper towel that I used for the background rectangles. The sentiment is a Studio G stamp colored with gel pen and clear embossed. It was a fun and relatively (for me) quick card.

Stars and Stamps sketch #20

Here is this week's S&S sketch. Love the new logo!

It is warm enough here to get a person dreaming of pools of water. These cute guys from Mo Manning have the right idea!

Used a new-to-me stamp from Studio G for the sentiment. Nice and simple. The papers are all from my stash and Prismacolor pencils are my favorites for coloring digital images.

S&S sketch challenge#18

Here is this week's sketch from OWH's Stars and Stamps blog. Kate created a fun, interesting sketch. Thanks Kate! I went for a folk art look on this card. The houses are a stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms. The sentiment is an Anna Griffin design. On both cards I used the Black Magic technique which is this week's Try a New Technique challenge on Split Coast Stampers. I had never done it before and loved it!

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=492082 I tried the Black Magic technique on this dark red paper and was pretty happy with how that looks too. I did color with white Prismacolor pencil directly on the red paper for the stars and stripes. The flag is an oldie from Stampendous. The cancellation stamps by an unknown maker.

Stars and Stamps sketch challenge #16

Here is this week's sketch. It was a digital image fest on these cards ;-)

This silly looking stretch dog is a digital image and sentiment I put together in PSE. I used my Quickutz embossing folder for the first time. It is very handsome IMHO.

I love this digital image from Bird's Cards blog!
http://www.birdscards.com/Default.aspx?tabid=65 My sister had a VW bus like this one except for the surfing stuff. The paper and sentiment stamp are way old so they went perfectly with the bus, LOL.

The counting page image is a freebie from
http://1stfloorflatfreebies.blogspot.com/ The numbers and sentiment were stamped using a child's alphabet set.

All the images were colored with Prismacolor pencils. Distress inks were used on the papers' edges.