something wonderful

as you know Operation Write Home has great weekly sketches and this week was no different, OWH Sketch# 196



All this great Green Printed Cardstock is from My Mind's Eye Lush Collection


Image Stamp - Unity Stamp Co. Feel the Joy

Sentiment Stamp - Unity Stamp Co. Empowered Words

Ink - Tim Holtz Forest Moss

Ribbon - Stampin' Up

do you feel the love?

I took the Pals Paper Arts Sketch #169 and just kinda went crazy with it.  I thought it was perfect for these little cut-out cards that I very rarely use



Don't you just love this background paper?  I got it from The Canvas Corp Warehouse (it's just north of me about a 40 minute drive) but this paper is actually from American Crafts called Love Always



I think the little Cards I cut out are from the same American Crafts line but I'm not positive.

Tiny Heart Stamp - Unity Stamp Co. Love Bug

Ink - Tim Holtz Gathered Twigs









Cardstock is all from DieCutWithAView



Ribbon - misc but it was in my Stampin' Up jar so I suppose it is from SU

Sentiment (Left) - Unity Stamp Co. Let Your Heart Take Flight

Sentiment (Right) - Unity Stamp Co.the Time is NOW

Ink - CloseToMyHeart Tulip




These cards will all get shipped off to Operation Write Home for our Soldiers to keep in touch with those they love.

miss you

the last retreat I went to in Branson, which was earlier this month, we saw this cool little plate that can be used in the Big Shot that has a beveled middle so you can die cut without cutting that area, it made some really cute pop-ups for cards. I got home & didn't have a single butterfly die!  what?!  today I finally made it to the store but Hobby Lobby had NOTHING *gasp* Off to Joann's where I find they've had all their dies on sale, needless to say they were extremely picked over, I chose on from Fiskars and was assured by one of the ladies working there that it does work in the Big Shot.  I bought it home & was pretty much ready to take the thing back but finally had success with it, although I'm not thrilled with it.

Sketch - Freshly Made Sketches #109

all the papers I used are from my miscellaneous pile I'm trying to work down

Cardstock - DieCutWithAView

Butterfly Die - Fiskars Fuse Creativity System Die Medium (I will have to get some smaller butterfly dies at some point as this one is just way too big.)

Ink - Tim Holtz Ripe Persimmon

Viva Pearl Pen in Cream

Miss You Stamp - Unity Stamp Co. Miss You So Much

Ink - Tim Holtz Walnut Stain

Thanks & Love

I have all this paper... no wait, I have all this paper that doesn't go with any of my other paper so today I enacted the paper reduction act... I gathered up several of the papers and found the current Pals Paper Arts Sketch 177 to be VERY inspiring. So I made all these cards!



I started out really being loyal to the sketch (the one laying down) but then I started matting & liked it better.

I love two-sided papers... nuff said

All the sentiments are from two different DieCutWithAView Quote Stacks that my awesome friends, Casey & Tricia, donated to my card making cause!

and at this point I started playing with scraps that weren't big enough for the SFF sketch

that's it and I got rid of a few papers from my miscellaneous pile!

love love loe

well it's been a little while... October is such a crazy busy month for me!  but here I am now :-)

I just happened to have a couple of free hours on my hands today & looked up the current Operation Write Home Sketch (#195) and I decided I have time for that!

So I snagged three misc printed papers,  snagged an old Basic Grey stamp, slapped on some Hollyhock ink from CloseToMyHeart, punched it out with an old Creative Memories punch and distressed the edges with Tim Holtz Peeled Paint, wrapped it all up in a little ribbon from craftsmart - TaDah!  I think it turned out cute.... but really I made EIGHT of these... hope the soldies/significant other

lotus love

as some of you know I was Unity Stamp Company's Growing In Unity Gal last week, well at the end of your week you turn in what two itty bitty sets your winner wants plus what set you would like to have.  I chose this one..... Donna Downey's Imperfection is Beauty... it is Wonderful!  Plus I got it super fast, it was in my mailbox today.  Expect to see some of these stamps on my scrapbook layouts in the near future :-)  A very special THANK YOU to Unity Stamp Co for letting me join them!


Using a sample of some cream pearl cardstock, I stamped the large lotus image and fussy cut it. Then applying the CTMH Hollyhock ink directly from pad to the petal tips, I applied CTMH Baby Pink to a rubber brayer and worked the color onto the flower. Last I used a dauber with CTMH Sunflower for the center.

I have no idea where I got the rainbowed butterfly or green dotted papers from, but they are really fun prints to work with.

Cardstocks - The Pink ones are from Stampin' Up and the Greens are from DCWV.

Sentiment, Image & Distressing Ink - Memento Rich Cocoa

Stem Ink - CTMH Olive




I used Unity's Be Inspired Card Sketch, but changed it from a Christmas ornament hung from the top of the card to the Lotus growing from the bottom

Ever Changing

Kids are constantly changing and what I thought would be a great photo op (mostly for the funny pics sure to happen) was a total let down.  You see my oldest son had all four wisdom teeth taken out at once, this was a MAJOR affair for us because he is terrified of needles!  The oral surgeon gave me plenty of meds to all but knock him out and it was a complete success.  Here he is Day 3 post operation... you see that?  no chipmunk cheeks!  While I was extremely happy for his good experience, I was terribly letdown that I did not get the fun pics out of it.






Unity Stamp Co. Layers of Life Stamp Set Ever Changing (through time) was PERFECT for this event

Printed Papers - Basic Grey Periphery (one of my all time favorite paper packs!)

Sentiment - Stamped in Top Boss with Stamp Affair in Copper

Embellishment Stamped in Tim Holtz Forest Moss

Splatters - Tattered Anggels Glam in Hay Ride

Chippie - UmWow Studio Cattail with come Distressed Stickles in Scattered Straw to top it off

Edge Stamp - Tim Holtz Walnut Stain






I've submitted this layout to Unity Stamp Co.'s Friends with Flair.... go on, make something!