S&S Sketch Challenge #58

It's time for another Sunday Sketch Challenge! We have a great one for you today, but before we get to that, have you signed up for the Bunny Hop yet? Better get on the list now - signups close on Wednesday!

I can't wait to see what you craft folks can do with this sketch:



We have a super cute sample card today, featuring sweet little scary monsters! The wonderful Lisa of Schnauz Scraps is our samplemaker today. Be sure and stop by her blog to see more of her great work. Thanks for your help today, Lisa!



Are you inspired now? I hope so! Go forth and make some cute cards!

To play along in this week's sketch challenge, simply upload a project using this week's sketch to your blog or online gallery then leave a direct link to your project using the Inlinkz widget at the bottom of this post. And remember, you may use this sketch at any time. Feel free to re-post the sketch on your blog along with your card… then come back and leave a link for us so we may all see your cards!

We encourage everyone to take a few moments to visit and leave comments for the other participants. Comments are a wonderful way to say thank you for sharing your creative project and inspires everyone to create.

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Recap: Focal Point Seminar

For those of you who may have missed the original post  you can revisit the seminar at Saturday Seminar Series #1: Creating a Focal Point. Since it’s easiest to discuss how making some modest changes to your design can really help to strengthen (or create) a strong focal point by showing you before and after designs I’d like to start the review by sharing a couple here with you.

Our first set, submitted by Velda, takes elements that are just a bit too spread out to draw the viewer’s eye immediately to any one point. In her after version she has brought the elements closer. Your eye is immediately drawn to the eagle because of the nice red frame she added around it and then travels down to the ribbon/sentiment. combination. The new layout creates a strong focal point and guides your eye nicely because of the good spatial relationship between the elements.

Similarly in this set Cindy has taken two elements that start out competing for the viewer’s attention. By adjusting the spacing between the lines in her sentiment and adding the rainbow stripes above and below it she successfully takes the independent elements and creates one strong focal point.

Sherry did a nice job with both of these cards. By grouping elements in close proximity both designs cause the viewer fo focus right in on one main area of interest creating the desired effect of a strong focal point.

Sybrina's card creates an immediate focal point by putting the sentiment fornt and center. The slight angle of it adds a nice playful twist (no pun intended) and the cut-out leaf embellishment is a nice finishing touch.

Sara followed the lead of the "Dora" design and was able to take small stickers that might otherwise have been lost against a large background. The strong contrast of the white circles and having them grouped closely together forces the viewer's eye to see the three of them as one unit and one focal point.

Most every designer  and artist will admit that it takes some bravery to look back at early work without cringing but only by looking at where you've come from, and building on it, can you figure out where you want to go. Thanks to everyone who joined in this seminar!


Our next in the Saturday Seminar Series will take place on Saturday, March 26th at 11am PST, and will be taught by our very own Sandy Allnock. Did you know she's a graphic designer by day? (That might explain a few things around here at OWH!) She'll be sharing on the topic "Texture and Dimension," providing guidance on not only what looks good but what is appropriate and not appropriate for cards for our heroes. NOTE: We'll be trying this seminar on our ustream channel - so it will be LIVE! You can participate, ask questions, and get your assignment that day. It will also be recorded, so you can watch it later, and a recap will be posted here on S&S later in the day.

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Featured Friday: Carla M., Mineral Bluff, GA

Happy Friday Everyone! This week I am happy to introduce you to Carla from Mineral Bluff, GA and her wonderful creations. Carla is not a blogger so be sure to leave her your comments at the end of this post.

How long have you been stamping?

Started scrapbooking in 1999 and began stamping in 2006 

Do you have a craft room or specific area where you stamp? My formal dining room (hee hee)

What are your favorite stamp products?

Stampin Up, GinaK, Papertrey Inc, St, Stampabilities "HouseMouse Designs", Hero Arts, Stampendous, and any stamp on clearance !!

Do you have a favorite technique? No, I love to try everything ! 

Are there colors you love to include on your cards? All my cards would be pink and black or pink and brown if I didn't force myself to think of colors other people would like.

How did you hear about Operation Write Home? I wanted to do something for the military that involved my love of cardmaking, found the OWH site while surfing web.

What motivates you to make cards for our heroes? Comments they have made about OWH and just knowing somewhere, someone may get a smile from a card that I've made!

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MWT Any Occasion Challenge

 Wow!  Your cards for the masculine challenge we had last week were fabulous!  I had so much fun checking out your awesome work, thanks for the inspiration and playing along! 

Our challenge this week is an Any Occasion themed challenge.  We challenge you to make any occasion cards for our heroes to send home to their friends and loved ones.  They could have no sentiment at all on your card front or a possible idea for a sentiment might be, Hello, Just Checking In, etc.  We’re looking forward to seeing your creations!

Our sample cards this week was made by Jeanine also known as TN Granny.  To see more of her wonderful art work, please visit her blog Bucket List Stamper and leave her some love.

Thank you Jeanine for sharing your awesome creativity with us!

We also have a prize sponsor this week!  The Angel Company has generously provided one of their rubber stamp sets for us to award one lucky person who enters our challenge by 9:00 PM MST Tuesday, March 1, 2011!

This cute set is titled "No Place Like Gnome".

To play along in this week's  challenge, simply upload a project using this week's challenge to your blog or online gallery then leave a direct link to your project using the Inlinkz widget at the bottom of this post.  And remember, you may use this challenge at any time.  Feel free to re-post the challenge on your blog along with your card… then come back and leave a link for us so we may all see your cards!

We  encourage everyone to take a few moments to visit and leave comments for the other participants.  Comments are a wonderful way to say thank you for sharing your creative project and inspires everyone to create. 

Thanks for stopping by and hope you join in the fun!

To play along this week, please enter your name, URL and email address in the link below then press next step and select the photo of your creative project.  An icon will appear on the blog featuring the photo you selected.  If the photo doesn’t appear right away, don’t worry, it will after the page has been refreshed.

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Tutorial - Embossed Flower Card

Today's tutorial comes to us today from Pam at Airbornewife's Stamping Spot. She recently posted this card on OWH's Facebook page, and we loved it so much we asked her to show us how she made it.

1. Stamp some sort of Swirl/Flourish design on your card stock.

2. Attach flowers or punched images onto card stock in random places. I find that a glue stick works best.


3. tip: smooth out flowers using an acrylic block or something flat.

4. Place card stock in an embossing folder, using one with an intricate design gives the best results.

5. Run through your die-cut/embossing machine.

6. I like to use brads in the centers of the flowers, attach the sentiment, assemble layers together and your card is complete.

This is a great way to use up all the scads of flowers you may have laying around. I know that I have many bottles and keep moving them from one place to another.

In addition to this great tutorial, Pam is offering a give-away! Each person who posts a card using this technique gets entered in a drawing for a chance to win a two-pack of embossing folders that includes the folder she used on the flower cards. Post your entry by midnight Sunday night. The winner will be announced in next Tuesday's Tutorial.

Thanks, Pam for a great tutorial and give-away!

Visit Pam at her blog, or leave a comment here and let her know what you think. Also remember that you can submit tutorial ideas, or share a tutorial of your own. Just write me at kate@operationwritehome.org.

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A bonus tip for you today: on using InLinkz

We've had a ton of questions lately about why people can't link more than one card to Inlinkz, when they see that others can. Here's why:

• If you use your BLOG url (ie http://www.blogname.org) then you can only post one card per InLinkz. 
• If you use the POST url (ie http://www.blogname.org/name-of-my-blog-post.html) then you can add multiple cards. (Note that for prizes you may or may not qualify for prizes for extra posts - but you're welcome to share.)

An additional reason to use the POST url: if anyone wants to go back and look at cards for a challenge or sketch using the InLinkz thumbnails, the blog urls only get them to the top of your blog - NOT to the post with the card on it. It's very frustrating to think they've gotten to the wrong place! So please use the POST urls when linking on our blog - we'd love more people to be able to come and see your card for a long time to come. :)

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S&S Sketch Challenge #57

Hello cardmakers! Before we get to the sketch today, just a quick reminder to get those Spring Thaw boxes in the mail ASAP - so they'll reach your shipper by the 28th!

We have a great sketch for you today - I can't wait to see what y'all can do with it. I so enjoy visiting each of your blogs each week and seeing your cards with these sketches. Y'all do some beautiful work!!



Today we have three fantastic sample cards for you, courtesy of the awesome Heather. Be sure and visit her blog, We Grow By Our Dreams, to see more of her beautiful work. Thanks so much, Heather!





Ready? Set? Craft!!

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OWH Live broadcast

Sorry about the short message earlier today...I forgot to post about the practice broadcast earlier! We had a nice turnout and had a lot of fun together. We read mail from heroes, shipper Dixie popped in for a phone chat, we shared a sneak peek of the Saturday Seminar coming in late March, read some kids AnyHero mail, and we made two cards!

The one on the left was quite the challenge; random numbers selected which papers would have to be used, then the brainstorm began - the flocked black and white paper didn't go with the blue and brown papers at all (and the brown is a strip of pattern on an otherwise striped paper!). We started with a sketch, #5 - because it at least had small pieces of paper, so we could limit the presence of the papers. Distressing was next - an inkpad and distressing tool made the soft edge around the papers, and tied them together. The card base color was the most controversial, mostly because the camera didn't show true color very well!

The second card was a 10minute card! We want to keep the weekly show fairly short, so we tried to see what could be made in 10 minutes (not including the time to select papers!). Sketch 56 was chosen for these papers, which matched much better than the first set. A border punch added some softness to the bold square shapes, and as the buzzer neared (and I panicked!), the flower stickers were added. With :55 to go, a sticker sentiment was added onto a scrap that was already punched. (Piercing was added after the broadcast, I just couldn't let that go!)

All in all, a pretty successful practice round on ustream! We learned a bunch - including that I need to find a better mic! And that the mailman is really cheery. :)

To join us on March 3 (or any of our other practice sessions before then - watch facebook to find out when those will happen...some will come up quick as I have time!), you only need to log onto ustream to check it out. No mic, no hardware, all you need to do is a quick free registration if you'd like to chat, but you can also just watch what's going on and not interact, too.

*Note: In addition to the regular weekly program, I'm going to find some times to do special sessions on more extended topics like coloring, or particular tutorials. I'll have to figure out a schedule, etc - but stay tuned!

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OWH Live!

OWH is now broadcasting! We're doing a test broadcast in advance of our new weekly OWHtv show! Click here and chat with us live from 1-3pm PST on Sat Feb 19th! TODAY!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/owhtv

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Featured Friday: Christine W., Lake Placid, FL

This week I'd like you all to meet Christine and be inspired by her terrific cards! Christine doesn't have a blog but you can see more of her cards in online galleries at StampTV and over at Split Coast Stampers and of course you can leave your comments at the end of this post.

How long have you been stamping? I have been stamping for about 2 years.

Do you have a craft room or specific area where you stamp? I have a craft closet in our guest room! It is perfect, my husband made a fold down table, added a fluorescent light and shelves. When we have company all I have to do is close the door to the closet.

What are your favorite stamp products?  That's a hard question to answer. I love my cuttlebug and nestabilities. Lately I have been using alot of Crystal Laquer and Liquid Pearls.

Do you have a favorite technique? I don't really have a favorite technique. I like trying all different ones that I find on the web.

Are there colors you love to include on your cards? Lately it seems I have been using brighter colors, but I usually go with browns! I am more in my comfort zone with neutrals.

How did you hear about Operation Write Home?

I have been a member of Stamptv for almost 2 years and one of the ladies had a post about OWH and I wondered what it was about. I went online and researched it and decided it was something that I could do.

What motivates you to make cards for our heroes? I think that all our soldiers and their families need to know that we support all the sacrafices they go through daily fighting for our freedom. They are away from their families and friends for months, and knowing that a card I made is going to be sent to a loved one means alot. I also enjoy reading all the emails from the units who get the cards.

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Masculine Midweek Throwdown Challenge

What a great color challenge we had last week!  I had so much fun checking out your awesome cards, thanks for the inspiration and playing along! 

Our challenge this week is a Masculine themed challenge.  We challenge you to make cards for our heroes to send home to the men and boys in their lives.  We’re looking forward to seeing your creations!

Our sample cards this week was made by Dawn.  To see more of her wonderful art work please visit her blog The Chatty Stamper and leave them some love.

Thank you Dawn for sharing your awesome creativity with us!

To play along in this week's  challenge, simply upload a project using this week's challenge to your blog or online gallery then leave a direct link to your project using the Inlinkz widget at the bottom of this post.  And remember, you may use this challenge at any time.  Feel free to re-post the challenge on your blog along with your card… then come back and leave a link for us so we may all see your cards!

We  encourage everyone to take a few moments to visit and leave comments for the other participants.  Comments are a wonderful way to say thank you for sharing your creative project and inspires everyone to create. 

Thanks for stopping by and hope you join in the fun!

To play along this week, please enter your name, URL and email address in the link below then press next step and select the photo of your creative project.  An icon will appear on the blog featuring the photo you selected.  If the photo doesn’t appear right away, don’t worry, it will after the page has been refreshed.

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Tutorial - Dangle card

I've seen this technique called a "spinner," but to me a spinner card is the kind that twirls back and forth from side to side. So, I decided to just make up a name. And it dangles, so...

Start with something to dangle. You can use a punched or die-cut item, like this butterfly, or stamp and cut out an image. I am using two identical butterflies so they will be cute from both sides when the card is open.

Cut a piece of thread, fishing line, or other fiber or thin ribbon, depending on the size of the image you're dangling and the look you want.


Sandwich it between the two dangling images and adhere them to each other.

Now you need a window in your card. Again you can use a punch or a die cutting machine, or you can mark the spot where you want your window and use a paper cutter. You'll need another layer of cardstock or designer paper to sandwich the thread between. The important thing is to line up the windows.

Now you have a fun element that adds movement to your card. Give it a try and let us know what you think.




Remember, if you have an idea for a tutorial, or if you have a technique you'd like to share in a Tuesday Tutorial, please email me at kate@operationwritehome.org.

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