OWH Stars and Stamps: July 2011

Sketch Challenge #80

>> Sunday, July 31, 2011 – Sketch Challenge

Welcome to this week's Sketch Challenge! I hope your July was great - and I hope you got your Beat the Heat challenge cards sent in!

Before we get to the sketch, I have something for you! The awesome Allison G has helped us out by putting our sketches into a downloadable PDF file! You can copy the file to your PC to refer to the sketches anytime, or you can even print the 18 page document to keep sketches handy. Thanks so much, Allison!

Sketches 1 through 75 PDF

I have also placed a link to this document on our Sketch collection page.

This week's sketch is a little bit "out of the box," but hope y'all will like it and make something beautiful with it.

Reminders! All OWH sketches are designed for A2 sized cards (4.25" x 5.5") and the heart shape indicates the embellishment of your choice, it doesn't have to be a heart.

Our sample for this week was made by the talented Yvonne! She has a blog called One Creative Momma (and she is!) so be sure and visit her and leave her some love. Thanks so much for the beautiful sample card, Yvonne!

Okay, everyone, go see what you can do with this sketch! Don't forget to link your blog or gallery entry back here so we can all see!

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 the link to that entry 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.

Featured Cardmaker: Laurie J., Houston, TX

>> Friday, July 29, 2011 – Featured Friday Cardmaker

Happy Friday everyone! This week I'm delighted to introduce you all to Laurie and to share some of her beautiful cards with you. Laurie isn't actively blogging at this time so be sure to leave a comment for her here at the end of this post.

How long have you been stamping?

I am a scrapper first, I don't really stamp. I've been doing some kind of scrapbook endeavor since I was 10 years old (and that has been 40+ years now). But in the recent genres, I have been working with paper since 2007, and digital since 2009. I found OWH in 2009, and my card emphasis started then.

Do you have a craft room or specific area where you stamp/craft?

Yes, I have an entire room in my condo devoted to my office/craft room. It is big enough to house my den/guest room as well.

What are your favorite stamp/craft products?

I love working with embossing folders. I like that I can add texture to papers, so that the designs do not seem so flat.

Do you have a favorite technique?

Not really. I try to keep my cards simple so that the intended message is imparted and not overshadowed by the materials.

Are there colors you love to include on your cards?

All of them??? I like bright colors, so it is sometimes hard for me to do masculine and/or fall cards. The more muted colors don't inspire me as much.

How did you hear about Operation Write Home?

Since 2008 I have been participating in a couple of online chat forums. Someone mentioned the Memorial Day blog hop in 2009, and I was hooked!

What motivates you to make cards for our heroes?

My father is a veteran, as were my first and second husbands. Now my Son-in-Law is in the Air Force. In fact he is scheduled for deployment to Iraq later this year.

As an Army brat, my father was away so many of my growing up years, and I know how important the letters going home can be to the wellbeing of both the writer and the receiver. I know that my mom still has all of the letters she received from my dad during the Vietnam conflict. He wrote her a letter everyday without fail. Sometimes she would get one a day in the mail, sometimes it would be two or three, depending on how quickly our mail service worked. But it was her life line to him.

These days with texting and emailing, news and communication can be intantaneous, but having the ability to send a special thought for a birthday, or anniversary is so much more endearing in a card than an email. A card can be treasured, just like the letters my mom keeps to this day. And I hope that someday in this next year, my Son-in-Law has the opportunity to find one of my cards to send home to my daugher.

OWHtv: Episode 21, Moving to YouTube!

>> Thursday, July 28, 2011 – OWHtv

Are you ready for some changes? We've got some show changes that we want to implement - hopefully it will make it all easier in the long run and won't cost us an arm and a leg :0) It was explained in the first (unrecorded) 20 minutes...so here's the scoop for those who weren't there:

In order to remove ads, we had to pay for a subscription. With the popularity of the show, we're getting enough hours of viewership that it'll get really expensive really fast. Even with just the live audience, it'll be pricey, but we're going to invest and try it! However, after each show, we'll export it to YouTube - and that's what you'll see here on the blog. So please be sure to watch reruns from the blog/YT, so it won't cost us money for the uStream viewership. We'll be looking for other less expensive ways to broadcast, as well as sponsors for the show - but so far we just love having the live chat going on and will stay with uStream til we research something new....so stay tuned.

The other announcement that wasn't recorded (sorry!): the CRUISE! We now have a date, ship, ports of call....and the details are hosted on the CRUISE WEBSITE. Please bookmark that site, we won't host the details here on our blog in case we get things wrong - go to the cruise site for the latest details and costs. We plan to have all the supplies donated, so all you have to bring is your personal clothing etc items, and possibly your favorite coloring medium (unless Santa visits us with cases of Copics!). Lots more details will be coming, have no fear.

SIGN UP EARLY! The cruise is open to anyone who goes to the website; if they try signing up for a filled cruise, they'll be offered ours. We'd love our OWH family to get first dibs on the spots before others join in, so don't wait too long to decide! There will be 100 spots open...claim yours today! And stay tuned for more details....we'll share more about the event planning as that gets underway (the cruise site will remain the place for the costs/logistics though...we only cover the FUN bits!)

And without further ado...OWHtv for this week! Stick around til the end and hear the beautiful letter at the end...it's worth the wait!

Water

>> Wednesday, July 27, 2011 – Midweek Throwdown Challenge

What a fun challenge last week, your Cards 4 Kids were so fun!

Thanks for the wonderful inspiration –

This week we challenge you to make cards for our heroes to send home to their loved ones using a “Water” theme. I can’t wait to see your interpretation of this challenge!

Our sample card maker this week is Nana Connie, to see more of her fabulous art work please visit her blog Grammy’s Attic.

Thank you Nana Connie for sharing your awesome creativity with us!

We also have a prize sponsor for this challenge! One lucky card maker will win a one year subscription to the online magazine Through The Craftroom Door! Please limit your entries this week to 2 so everyone has a chance to win this fabulous prize.

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.

INLINKZ

Tutorial - Pleating

>> Tuesday, July 26, 2011 – Cardmaking 201, Tutorial

Hi everyone! Special thanks today to Nancy of Nancy's Creative Space for this tutorial on Pleating. Give her a special OWH welcome and check out her blog for more beautiful creations.

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For the first one, I scored 1/2" then 1/4" on four pieces of paper 12" x 1" and made my folds:

Then I placed the four pieces just under the edges of my sentiment, making sure I had pleats exending past the edges on all four sides.

Then I cut the corners at a 45% angle to mitre the corners.

I then added the panel to my card, and added a few embellishments (which are great if one of your corners doesn't come out quite right!)

For the next card, I decided to do box pleats - I scored 1" then 1/4" then 1" then 1/4".

And folded like so:

I then added the strip to my card background.

I added a few border strips and a strip of Dazzles.

And here is the finished card:

Try this!

Like it - add a simple pleated border on a card or layout

Love it - try box pleats

Gotta have it - add layers of pleating and layers of borders for all kinds of interesting looks!

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Thanks again, Nancy for today's tutorial.

Everyone, remember, if you see a new technique or if you have one you would like to share, please email me at kate@operationwritehome.org. Also, you can find archives of our previous tutorials at the Cardmaking Resources page of the OWH website, and lots of great information in the Cardmaking Glossary.

REMINDER! Contest deadline is coming Aug 5!!!

Don't forget! The deadline is fast approaching for We R Memory Keepers' contests - both the retail store AND the individual consumer contests. Yes, you knew about the consumer one, right? Grab some We R Memory Keepers papers and other supplies if you've got them, so we can show them what amazing cards OWH can make when we have their fantastic tools at our fingertips! (We R products aren't required on the cards....but if you've got them - flaunt them!)

CONTEST PAGE

And for those too tired from CHA to click (ie Sandy), this is copied from their page:

Who: Anyone and everyone can get involved! However, the Cruise giveway does have a few requirements; please see the Rules and Regulations section below for details.
What: Send us blank homemade cards for the troops with your ENTRY FORM (Please see the guidelines below or click here) The catagories of cards are: Birthday, Love (Anniversary or Miss You), Thank You, Thinking of you, Get well, and Major Holidays.

- You can also send "Any Hero" cards which are cards with notes inside of them from you to the troops. These are a great way to get your children involved - the troops love to hear from them, and love to receive your encouraging words of motivation, cheer and comfort. "Any Hero" cards are also perfect for LARGE community events, where you are trying to collect large quantities of cards - if you are interested in this idea please call our Marketing Manager, Bonnie Randall, at 801-539-5000 to discuss.

When: June 6th - August 5th, please send us the blank cards by the DEADLINE: 5 PM, August 5th
Where: Please drop off your blank cards to a Drop Zone (A participating scrapbook store collecting cards - deadline to have them into the retailers is July 29th, 2011) or mail directly to us (with your ENTRY FORM):

We R Memory Keepers

Attn: Operation We R Grateful

631 North 400 West

Salt Lake City, UT 84103

Sketch Challenge #79

>> Sunday, July 24, 2011 – Sketch Challenge

Hello, cardmakers! I hope you're all staying out of the heat and staying indoors to make some cards! Don't forget that the Beat the Heat challenge cards need to be in your shipper's hands by July 31 - a week from today, so get those packages in the mail ASAP! Be sure to include the packing slip!

Ready for this week's sketch? I think this one would be good for the long narrow scraps of designer paper that I know some of you hoard (you know who you are!)

Remember that all OWH sketches are always designed for an A2 sized (4.25" x 5.5") card.

Our samples this week were made by the fabulous Sherry! Visit her blog, Bits of Cheer, to see more of her beautiful work and leave her some love. Thanks for making these awesome samples, Sherry!

Have an idea now for a cute sketch card? Get to work and don't forget to come back and show us what you made!

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 the link to that entry 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.

Featured Cardmaker: Ann C., Bonney Lake, WA

>> Friday, July 22, 2011 – Featured Friday Cardmaker

This week I'd like to introduce Ann from Bonney Lake, WA. I think you will be as inspired as I am by her beautiful work. Ann does not have a blog so be sure to say hello and leave your comments for her here on this post.

How long have you been stamping? I started last summer, 2010.

Do you have a craft room or specific area where you stamp/craft?
I have a long table set up in an extra bedroom. I am married and we are both retired. Am also an ex Oregonian who moved up here 3 years ago to be close to my grandbabies. I love spending time with them during the day and love doing my card making in the evenings.

What are your favorite stamp/craft products?
I don't have a favorite as of yet since I am still very new at this. I discover new stuff all the time that I "just have to try".

Do you have a favorite technique?
I really enjoy using my Cuttlebug for embossing.

Are there colors you love to include on your cards?
I try to use different color combinations but if I am in need of mojo, I seem to like black, white, red, yellow combinations.

How did you hear about Operation Write Home?
I heard about OWH through a card maker magazine.

What motivates you to make cards for our heroes?
I have always felt that I need to give something back. OWH is a great way for me to do that.

CHA vlog 4!

Cards 4 Kids

>> – Midweek Throwdown Challenge

What a fun challenge last week, your Miss You cards were beautiful!

Thanks for the wonderful inspiration –

This week we challenge you to make cards for our heroes to send home to their children, our theme is “Cards 4 Kids". I can’t wait to see your card creations!

Our sample card maker this week is Shannon, to see more of her fabulous art work please visit her blog Enchanted Ladybug Creations.

Thank you Shannon for sharing your awesome creativity with us!

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

CHA! Wooohoo!

Oh wow what a good day for OWH! Got to talk with SO many companies, and the reception was so positive :)

Hanging out doing a make-n-take with Sparkle from Sparkle Creations, at the LaLaLand booth - round easel cards, so CUTE! And no, Sandy did NOT follow the directions. But she got to color!

Steph and Robin from SRCards, at the We R Memory Keepers booth. And no, they're not shopping, *winkwink* Juuuuuuust looking. (Sure.)

Tim is always surrounded by his adoring throngs!

Jen McGuire rocks! Sweet as pie!

Tim is SO patient about pics with crafters. We kept him late and he still stopped for the paparazzi!

Tutorial - Rock-n-Roll Shading Technique

>> – Cardmaking 201, Tutorial

I had the opportunity to scroll through Maureen's blog, Hideaway, during the recent Virtual Card Making Party. I saw this technique on one of her cards, and asked her if she'd be willing to share it with us, and she agreed! Maureen writes:

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I love all the shading techniques that I see on cards ... especially the way some designers can use Copics. Its amazing. It gives such depth to a card. So you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered a new technique that shades simply using basic techniques combined together (you may already know about this, but to me it was quite a revelation!). I used the rock-n-roll technique with just one color and stamping off to create the shading.

Here are some easy steps to get this same look:

1. Start with a solid stamp. I used Papertrey Ink’s Gracious Vases

2. For the card I made I first drew a light pencil line on the card front to help me line up the vases I was stamping.

3. Next I stamped the outline vases. I did a little masking with a post-it note to make them look like they were behind each other.

(Note, if you would like to know more about masking techniques, check out these three previous masking tutorials here, here, and here.)

4. To create the shaded effect, ink up your solid image and lightly stamp off on some scratch paper. Don’t press down or too much ink will transfer to the scrap. Just a light tap will do

5. Re-ink just the side of your stamp that you want to be shaded. To do this you tilt the stamp a little, just getting the edge on the ink pad and then rock your stamp on the ink pad to get the whole edge inked up.

6. Line up your solid stamp with the outline image and Voila … simple shading

Here are some more samples :

On this card I used this technique on the butterfly:

Thanks so much, Maureen, for this great tutorial. I'm looking forward to using this new technique. Y'all go check out her blog.

Everyone, remember, if you see a cool technique or if you have one you would like to share, please email me at kate@operationwritehome.org. Also, you can find archives of our previous tutorials at the Cardmaking Resources page of the OWH website, and lots of great information in the Cardmaking Glossary.