WCMD Bloghop

 Thanks for dropping by!  Hopefully you are hopping along with OWH.  If not, you can go HERE to check out the fun bloghop.

The theme for the hop is thank you cards and OWH asked participants to use one of their fabulous sketches.  I chose Sketch #115:

Supplies Used:  Paper-SEI and Recollections, Stamps-Stampin' Up

Hope you have fun hoppin' along.  Head back to the bloghop for more inspiration, and hopefully you'll find some time to make some cards today too.  Happy World Card Making Day!

Challenge 174-At the Sea

It's Monday, which means it's time for another challenge at Craft Your Passion!  This week is a special treat-it's the first day for our new DT members.  Be sure to check out their work.  They are fabulous!  I just love the whole CYP design team-everyone definitely has their own unique style.  This week's challenge is
At Sea

Our sponsor, Delicious Doodles, generously donated Pirate Polly for me to use.  She's perfect for designing a scene:

The paper is all cardstock by Provo Craft.  I only had one shade of blue so I distressed the sky with white pigment ink to make it look a bit cloudy.  The treasure chest is by Celtic Doodles and the font is a freebie called Fairydust B.

Can't wait to see your sea-themed projects at Craft Your Passion!

Also Linking to:

Digi Haven-Life's a Beach

CYP #172-Birthdays

Happy Monday!  I'm a little late posting my card for Craft Your Passion's challenge.  Sorry about that.  This week's theme is really fun.  It's

Birthday Cards

You can get really creative with this one.  I had a blast with my bright colored Imaginese paper pack and a super cute digi from this week's sponsor, Birdie Brown.

I chose not to use OMS with my pencils this time because I feel like it dulls bright colors.  Probably time for some new blending stubs.  The sentiment is a freebie from TLC.

Do you want to be a part of Craft Your Passion's dynamic design team?  We're looking for some new cardmakers!  Get the details (better be quick, applications are due on Wednesday) and be sure to join the fun at CYP this week!

Also linking to:

Make It Monday

Digi Haven-animals

CYP #171-Gratitude

Happy Monday!  This week's challenge at Craft Your Passion is

Thank you cards

I have a new thank you stamp and couldn't wait to use it:

The paper is from the This and That pack by Echo Park and the stamp is by Stampin Up.  I get all my Stampin Up stamps from yard sales during the summer.  The last one that I went to, I got 9 stamp sets, 6 brad sets, and 4 idea books for $40.  I probably would've spent more, but the hubby put me on a limit and took any extra cash out of my purse before I left (for good reason-ha ha).  Where do you find your craft bargains?

Be sure to join the crafting fun at CYP this week.

CYP #170-Patchwork

It's Monday, which means it's time for a new challenge at Craft Your Passion.  This week's theme is

Patchwork Background

I went a bit "artsy fartsy" as my dad calls it:

The image is "Putting on the Kettle" by this week's sponsor The Sugar Kissed Cottage.  Be sure to drop by Craft Your Passion and see what the rest of the DT did.

Also Linking to:

OWH Our Daily Bread Challenge-stitching

Houses on the Brain

I've got houses on the brain.  My hubby and I put in an offer on a house.  Now it's the waiting game.  So while I wait, I decided to put the home obsession to good use:

The paper is from my scrap pile.  I'm not sure who makes it.  The ribbon is from Offay, stamp from My Favorite Things, brad from Stampin Up, and stickers from The Scrapbook Wizard.

Linking Up to:

OWH sketch challenge

Scrap Wrangling

My sister-in-law asked if I could make her some thank you cards.  She is a golfer and has several sponsors that she'd like to thank.  I love any excuse to make cards, so I was all about that.  After I found a sketch, I examined my scrap box.  (All of my scraps are stored in a single-yes, SINGLE-shoebox.)  I've been trying to get the scraps contained for a while.  Going off of OWH's scrap-wrangling and 6x6 tutorials, I set out to use up the scraps.

Here's the thank you cards (I made 2-3 of each):

Then I went a bit overboard on the scraps...

 

I just mailed a box of cards to OWH 2 weeks ago, but it looks like I'm about ready to mail another one.

This one's my favorite.  Perfect for a guy (or maybe I'll give it to my sis-in-law as well).

 

This one's my hubby's favorite.  He insisted that I feature it on here.  The googly eyes and silly sentiment crack him up.

And lastly, because I loved this week's OWH sketch: 

She is colored with water-based markers and a blending pen.  That's my 1st try at the blender and I think it's alright.  I'd love any tips if you've used blending pens before.

Thanks for visiting today!

Linking up to:

OWH sketch challenge

Crafts and Me-anything goes

Make It Monday

OWH Memorial Day Bloghop!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  Hope you are having a fun few days.   I know that I'll be busy all weekend looking at the fun things on this hop.

My card uses OWH Sketch #22.

The paper is by Basic Grey and the stamps by My Favorite Things.  I had to ask my westerns-loving hubby to make sure "much obliged" means "thank you".  Phew!  It does!

Thanks for stopping by.  I'd love to hear from you, so leave a quick comment and then click HERE to get back to the hop.  Ciao!

CYP #157

Craft Your Passion's challenge this week is

Water Water Everywhere

Use an image with water in it.  Here's my take on it:

My printer did not want to cooperate, so I have a very 'faded' image.  I tried to use that to create a borderless image-but this is my first attempt at that, and I used colored pencils which is not a good medium for that technique.  It still turned out rather cute, too bad it's hard to see on camera.  I'll try to get a better picture uploaded this afternoon.  I used a paper weathering technique from My Favorite Things. You can find the tutorial HERE.

Don't forget to share your water projects this week at Craft Your Passion.

MPC Digi Desserts

I have been far too girly this week, so here's a boy card for you today.  I used "QT Patootie Boy w/Frog-Fishing" by Paper Craft World, which you can purchase HERE.  I colored him with Prismas and OMS and then fussy cut him out.  I replaced the fishing line with twine for just a little extra red color.

The paper, ribbon tag, and stickers are by Basic Grey.  I love the muddy grunge look-reminds me of fishing with my dad.  We always end up coated in mud.  You can link up to Digi Desserts Fridaze at My Paper Crafting HERE.  There is an adorable free digi of a sheep this week at that link, so check it out!

Also Linking to:

OWH Midweek Throwdown-twine and tags

Just some card fun

I have been loving spring break this week!  Since I can't really walk, I'm taking advantage of spending all my time crafting.  I'm trying to fill the last of a box that I'm sending to OWH.  I have a habit of bulky cards, but they're asking for flat cards for easier mailing, so this is a chance for me to practice that too.

First, I used my favorite stamps (TAWS) and a paper-pad that has been sitting unused for a year.

Supplies Used:  Stamps-The Alley Way Stamps (Crazy Critters and Sittin Pretty), Paper-DCWV

And of course I had to use a digi colored with Prismacolor pencils and OMS 

Supplies Used: Image-Deviant Art, Stickers-K&Co, Paper-Provo Craft

The digi is a freebie which you can find HERE.  Thanks for dropping by my blog this week!

Week 3-Hero and Creativity cards

Sorry for the late post. This week has been really chaotic, but especially with the 4th of July, I couldn't forget to make some cards for the troops. And for the holiday, I felt like doing something a little more patriotic and summer-y.

Hero Card

Supplies used: paper by Paper Studio, die cuts by Base Camp and Indi Art Cricut Cartridges

In my mind, this card looked a lot different. Initially, it started brown and green. I thought about how the men and women fighting for our freedoms are my heroes, but who are their heroes? So I wanted to make a "You're my hero" card that they could send to who they admire. But with the 4th of July, I decided to switch it to a red, white, and blue card. I really like the way it turned out. The star border is my favorite part, I designed it using the Gypsy by Provo Craft. I'm getting pretty hooked on manipulating Cricut cartridges with it.

Creativity Rules Card


Supplies Used: Cardstock by Provo Craft, brads by Making Memories, stamps by Autumn Leaves, markers by Zig

I really love this card. It's pretty simple, but it was a lot of fun to make and to look at. As I was coloring in the stamp, I remembered how much I loved to color as a kid, and I really enjoyed how bright the markers turned out. Plus I love the saying-Creativity Rules, because it does. And even better, it also helps support our troops!

Additionally, for the 4th of July, I got some kids in the neighborhood to make some AnyHero cards. (You can find out more info about AnyHero cards and get some free downloads for them on OWH's webpage.) The kids really got into it. When we got short on time, one girl started to panic-insisting that she had to finish her letter to the soldiers. That was one of the highlights of my 4th of July.

Week 2-Cookie Monster and Owl Cards

Welcome back! I guess I was in a bit of a cutsie mood this week. I kept thinking about soldiers that have young kids at home, and these cards are geared toward them.

Cookie Monster Card:


Supplies: Cardstock by Provo Craft, stamps by Stampin Up!, C by DoodleType Cricut Cartridge, patterned paper from Google Images, font is Tall Paul, idea from Split Coast Stampers

I saw an Elmo card and thought how fun a Cookie Monster (my favorite muppet) card would be. All in all, I really like it and don't think I'd change a thing.

It's Owl Good Card:


Supplies: cardstock by Provo Craft, patterned paper by KI Memories, die cuts by Gypsy Wanderings and Alphalicious Cricut Cartridges

Who doesn't love owls? I've developed a serious obsession with owls lately. Be prepared to see a lot more owl cards in the future.

So fun! Lately, I just can't get enough of cards or of service. My husband wrote his friend that is serving in the army about my weekly card project, and his friend replied,

"tell your wife hello for me, and let her know it makes me feel good knowing about her project. all the guys out here love the support we get from our friends and family. let her know it means alot that she is contributing."

I just get all warm reading his words. The service men and women appreciate and need our support out there. And what better way than spreading some smiles with handmade cards?

If you've joined the pack of 104 cards in a year, then be sure to get your own OWH stamp for the backs of your cards. There are lots of different designs to choose from. As for me, I'm cheap so I went with the FREE stamp option:


Awesome, isn't it? And it was completely free, I didn't even have to pay for postage. You can order any of the OWH stamps from HERE. Keep crafting friends! And keep me posted on your cards, I'd love to feature them on the blog.

Week 1-Just a little note and Miss U cards

Welcome to 104 Cards for Soldiers. I've been donating cards for over a year now to Operation Write Home. I feel rather passionate about their cause. I would donate my cards to the Clinton Utah Roberts Crafts store until they closed.

I guess I will tell you a little about this blog and how it got started. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder). Things got really bad, and I stopped doing everything that I loved, including crafting. My therapist encouraged me to start forcing myself back into my hobbies, even if I didn't feel like it, and to also start giving service as two ways to pull myself out of this depression (There were other things too, but those were two of my main "assignments").

It's hard to want to do anything while depressed, and I really struggled with getting back to life. Then I remembered OWH cards and how much I enjoyed making them. So I decided to start again. I decided that my goal was to make two new card designs each week to donate, and to keep me motivated (so I don't slip off my therapy again) I would post them on a public blog. It's a few different journeys in one blog-my personal journey to recovery, a journey of service, and hopefully the beginning of some new friendships and card ideas (I love seeing other people's ideas-please share yours!).

Sorry for such a downer intro. This blog isn't meant to be sad-it should be happy and fun. So here are my happy and fun cards from this week:

Just A Little Note Card
Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, and stamps by Provo Craft; Chipboard by Imagination Project

I wanted to do just a simple yet cheerful card. It's not really my favorite, but I think it'll give the soldiers a smile-and that's what's really important.


Miss U Card

Supplies: Patterned paper by Basic Grey, Ink by ColorBox, Rub ons by Making Memories

My husband's best friend is serving in Afghanistan right now. He was the inspiration for this card. It's very masculine, wild, and even a little messy (Just like our friend!). I actually made a second card that says "Dad" for Father's Day. I'm not too fond of the rub ons. If I was to make this card again, I'd choose a different and larger font, preferably in dark brown instead of black. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with it.