Featured Friday Cardmaker: Cathie W., Wichita, KS
This week’s Featured Friday Cardmaker is Cathie W, from Wichita, Kansas, who now has that Glenn Campbell song running over and over again in my head! (Good thing I actually like it! ) She’s shared a wonderfully eclectic group of cards with us. I had to laugh about how much her initial cards cost since I started making cards because I was certain I could make them cheaper than I was finding in stores. Boy, was I wrong! LOL Enjoy Cathie’s cards and please leave her some special OWH love in our comment section.
While my thoughts go out to all our military men and women, past and present (including dear friends I lost in Vietnam), here’s wishing everyone a wonderful holiday and I hope to see many of you back here at Stars and Stamps for the stupendous, festive Memorial Day weekend bloghop!
How long have you been stamping?
I started scrapping about 1996, but didn’t start stamping ’til I started making cards about 4 years ago. It’s my sister’s fault! She picked up OWH info at a CK Convention and said we should do this! So I did. She hasn’t started yet! Think of all the fun she’s missed!
Do you have a craft room or specific area where you stamp/craft?
Lucky me, all my kids are grown and gone so I have my choice of rooms for scrapping. The one I use is a perpetual mess of works in progress. I love to see the beautiful, coordinated and neat rooms on line, but that will never be mine!
What are your favorite stamp/craft products?
I have just discovered digi’s and copics; a dangerous and expensive combination, but I am definitely in love with them and a Silhouette is on my wish list.
Do you have a favorite technique?
My favorite technique is scrap-lifting since I’ve never had a creative idea in my head, but I love recreating the amazing ideas and techniques of the truly creative stampers out there! Thank you, everyone for sharing your wonderful talents with the rest of us!
Have any particular OWH sketches or tutorials served as inspiration for your cards?
OWH is an endless source of creative inspiration with the sketches, tutorials and do’s & don’t's. I no longer ‘sneeze’, ‘under glue’, or ‘over-embellish’ now thanks to Sandy.
Are there colors you love to include on your cards?
I really don’t focus on particular colors, but I do labor over what to say on the cards and whether to include some words inside. I always hope to make it easier for someone to write home with a little humor or love. To make it easier for the reluctant writer I sometimes include lines on the inside of the cards. It may look a little like notebook paper, but if they fill them with news from the front that’s what is important.
What motivates you to make cards for our heroes?
I found that my cards were costing about $150 a piece because I didn’t have enough friends to send to until I started making friends all over the OWH world whom I’ll never meet. I’ve worked the cost down to about $5 a card [lol], but I’ve never found a better bargain! The response from those getting our cards to send home is more than enough inspiration although I can never watch their videos without tears. I can’t begin to express my gratitude to Sandy, OWH and all the other card makers who make this possible for me to be part of.
OWHtv Episode 101: 6×6 Extravaganza
- Kristie’s 6×6 tutorial <—-rocks!
- Paper used in the samples below: My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found 3: Oliver collection
- Paper used in OWHtv: Authentique Loyal
- Stamped sentiments: ODBD and Hero Arts
The list of items I took to the stamp night at my LSS, Impress:
- layering cardstock (heavyweight black)
- ATG and extra tape
- bag of ribbon scraps
- baggie of brads/embellishments
- trimmer, scissors (well ok I borrowed a trimmer!)
- prestamped sentiments on white and cream scraps
- purchased the 6×6 with two sides printed, 24 sheets
Outcome: 24 cards!
Midweek Throwdown X 3
Thanks for a great challenge last week, your So Sentimental cards were fabulous and will be so appreciated!
Our challenge this week is Times Three!
We’re challenging you to use something on your card three times, an embellishment, maybe the stamped image? for our heroes to send home to their family and friends!
I can’t wait to see how you use your creativity for this challenge =)
Our sample card maker for this challenge is Marilyn, you have to go visit her blog Blessed Creativity, she makes beautiful cards!
Thanks Marilyn for sharing your awesome creativity with us!
YOUR TURN
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!
Tutorial: The One Sheet Wonder
Admit it. We all have one… that stash of favorite 12×12 paper that is kept in a special place! Maybe these treasured papers are made by your favorite designer, they are full of your favorite colors and patterns or they have such dreamy texture! My own stash of ”favorites” has been sitting, neglected, for a very long time! Why do we hoard these beautiful papers, when they are just begging to be used! Sometimes I worry about that favorite paper going to waste. I want to use every last scrap of it and make as many cards as possible. I stress over cutting into it, worrying about how many cards I will really be able to make? In the end, I tuck my “favorites” back away. The “favorite” papers continue to pile up, and go unused, no matter how beautiful they are!
But no more! No need to feel remorse or stress over using them up! Here is a tutorial brought to you by Seongsook where you will learn to use one sheet of 12×12 paper to make eight beautiful cards. Not a scrap will go to waste! This method is sometimes called the “One Sheet Wonder” and there are many templates for this to be found. I love that this one makes eight cards, and they do all turn out so nicely. The original post can be seen here, at Seongsook’s Creations and reads as follows:
The One Sheet Wonder
I came up with this basic template to make eight cards along with several variations that you can make more out of it. You will need to first cut in 5″x12″, the second cut in 5″x12″ and the rest will be 2″x12″. Then go by the cutting diagram.
- The original template image is larger, if you want to download it from Seongsooks’ blog.
Tip: Punch out the focal image mat from the base layer that will be covered by dsp anyway.
Here are the cards that were made following the template:
In the original post, Seongsook also shares the measurements needed to make even more cards from one 12×12 sheet. For example, you could also cut your 12×12 paper into twleve 4×3″ pieces to make twelve identical, “clean and simple” cards like this:
Photo says 14 – but this really makes 12 cards.
Here are a few more tips when making One Sheet Wonder cards:
- Begin by making your card bases with nice heavy-weight cardstock. Then choose some pretty solid coordinating cardstocks for mats.
- Use a 12×12 paper with a pretty coordinating pattern on both sides to achieve the look that Seongsook demonstrated above. If your DSP (designer, or patterned paper) is one-sided, simply follow the template twice, using two coordinating sheets. You will then have enough to make 16 cards, instead of 8.
- If you are still nervous about cutting into that paper, start by studying the template carefully. Seongsook noted that you should cut the horizontal lines first, and then the vertical. If your patterned paper is one sided, you could start by measuring and marking the back side of the paper with pencil first, then cutting. Once you do this, you will soon get the hang of it and feel more confident about cutting up your favorite papers!
- When I cut my 12×12 into pieces like this, I find it helpful to mark each piece as I cut it. I use a pencil and write in small letters in a corner… “card 1,” “2A,” or “3B” etc., so that they are easier to identify later when assembling the cards.
- There are many more OSW templates to be found by searching the internet. In general, the more cards a OSW template claims to make, the smaller the pieces are, and the less detailed your card will be. To remedy this, do not be afraid of adding more mats, pretty border punches or other things like stitching or embellishments. Use embossing folders in patterns to match your papers to add texture and dimension! I also love how Seongsook made such beautifully detailed sentiments for each of the cards shown above and popped them up using dimensional adhesives. The little touches like these will add a lot of detail to OSW cards and make them look even more fancy.
- These OSW cards are GREAT to make for the holidays. If you have an abundance of pretty matching Christmas paper, for example, this is a really neat way to use it up to make some really nice coordinating cards.
- It is great to be able to make cards in large quantities like this – but don’t forget that the OWH mission is to also focus on quality. Be sure to put lots of love and detail into each of these eight cards to make them quality and quantity!
I will leave an InLinkz again in case you would love to share your One Sheet Wonder creations with us here! Don’t forget to leave some love for Seeongsook in the comments, and share with us your links for other templates, if you’ve seen any great ones! Now take a deep breath, don’t close your eyes, because you will need them to see. . . and go cut up those horded favorite 12×12 papers! Let’s see what you can do!
Sketch Challenge #173
Happy Sunday peeps! You know what that means don’t you? Yepper… time for a new Sketch Challenge. I’m going to talk about the sketches in a minute, but first let’s get to business.
This week’s sketch was made from this wonderfully masculine card Linda posted on her blog, Creepin Along, back in January. The link for this card, and her other Top 10 cards for 2012, is here.
Isn’t this card beautiful? I love the papers Linda chose and especially the fishing lure stamp. The deadline for Father’s Day cards for the troops has passed. However, if you still need to make a Father’s Day card for your dad this will be a great sketch to use. I have and “Oooopsie” to confess. Linda let me know she followed Sketch #24, from 2010, for this card. So, I apologize for letting it slip through my fingers. OWH tries to bring you new, fresh sketches each week. But sometimes… well… an Ooopsie happens. In this case we changed some of the elements.
I want to give you a reminder about the sketches. First, they’re great to jump start your mojo.You can follow them exactly, or you can change them up. Using this week’s sketch as an example: The small circle doesn’t have to be a circle, it can be any kind of embellishment or shape; the center rectangle element can be another shape or die cut; you can leave the layout horizontal, like it is, or flip it and have a vertical layout. The main thing is to be able to recognize the sketch in your finished card.
Another reminder: All the OWH sketches, from #1 to the present, can be found here on the blog. Just go up to the header under “Get Busy” and click on “Sketches”. Or, you can just click here.
You will find all the sketches displayed. Click on a sketch and it will take you to that specific post. You will also find a downloadable PDF for sketches #1 – #150. Print it out and keep it on hand. You will also find 32 Bonus Sketches and a downloadable PDF to print… plus a downloadable PDF chart to keep track of all the sketches and check off those you have already used. Pretty nifty swifty… Huh?
Okay, I’ve taken up enough of your time so… Bye! Go create something wonderful!
Featured Friday Cardmaker: Theresa D., Kent, WA
Today’s Featured Friday cardmaker is Theresa D, from Kent, WA. Not only does Theresa have a personal reason for making cards for our heroes, she also makes cards with a family member. Which is cool enough. But how about the fact that the family member is her sixteen year old son? Thomas has been generous enough to take time from his obviously busy life to add a postscript about making cards with his mom. Please leave some great OWH love at Theresa’s blog: Playing with Pictures and Paper, or here in the comments!
How long have you been stamping?
I have been crafting since I started 4-H years & years ago. I got started really playing with paper not long after Thomas was born 16 years ago, scrapbooking all the pictures I was taking of him. I’ve just in the last year started to use stamps other than alphabets or sentiments. As I’m learning to use my Copics, I’m investing in more stamps that require coloring. Thomas has been crafting along side of me since he was big enough to hold a marker or crayon.
Do you have a craft room or specific area where you stamp/craft?
My paper crafting stash has taken over an entire extra bedroom. There Thomas & I have staked out our own space to create.
What are your favorite stamp/craft products?
My favorite products are heavy, textured cardstock. Any and all paper lines from Basic Grey. And I’m learning to really love my copic marker collection the more I play with them. Thomas is a fan of anything he can get his hands on.
Do you have a favorite technique?
I don’t really have any go-to techniques. I like to add layers, add a little ink to the edges of pieces, or use a little dimensional adhesive if a card feels like something is missing.
Have any particular OWH sketches or tutorials served as inspiration for your cards?
My favorite, go-to sketches are the ones at OWH. They really fit the way I like to make cards. I try to branch out & try different sketches, like the one at mojo monday, but I always come back to the ones at OWH. Thomas is better at thinking outside the box than I am. He will often create his own sketch or use an OWH sketch and take it in a totally new direction so that if he didn’t tell me which sketch he used, I wouldn’t recognize it.
Do you prefer digis or stamps?
I prefer regular stamps. I hate the fussing with the computer to size and copy and arrange the digis. Then getting the printer to print…. Give me a regular stamp any day!
Do you have a favorite theme?
I like to make thinking of you or missing you cards with little boys in mind. I have tons of boy themed supplies, so this way they get used.
Are there colors you love to include on your cards?
Blue. Or a little black if a card needs a little pop.
How did you hear about Operation Write Home?
I heard about OWH on a message board when it was just getting started as Cards for Heroes. It wasn’t until a coworker passed away unexpectedly that I made my first donation in his memory. He was retired Navy, and the family had requested donations to several service organizations. I’ve been making cards for OWH ever since.
What motivates you to make cards for our heroes?
I like being able to give something to those who put their lives on the line for us. I like knowing that I am able to help Heroes keep the link with their family strong. The hero mail talking about the little people keeping Daddy’s card with them at all times, sleeping with cards tucked under their pillows. That keeps me motivated. An added bonus is the quality time that it gives Thomas & me when we create together.
Thomas’ thoughts–
My first real memory of making cards with my mother was a long, long… LONG time ago making thank-you cards to send to relatives, with those cheap crayola 12-color paint sets and plain white copy paper. I’ve since grown out of that phase and enjoy spending quality time making cards with my mom when I’m not swamped with homework, playing videogames, or working on one of my various novels. I tend to make more… erratic card designs than my mother, who requires parallel lines and exact measurements while I’ll put one thing at a 38.14 degree angle this way and a 23.894 degree angle that way. My mother’s inability to think outside the box is something I often tease her about. (One particular event comes up a lot, just ask her about “The Bug’s Life Class.” It’s quite the funny story.)
I got strung along with my mother into Operation Write Home around the same time she did, with my first card sent in being a “Love You” card with Pooh and cottonball clouds. I tend to make more of the thinking of you, love you, and misc. type cards, mainly because of my tendency to use whatever catches my eye at the time, more often than not what’s in my mom’s ‘scrap pile.’ (Which is really full of diamonds– she just can’t think creatively enough to use them.) However, I’d say one of my favorite parts of OWH is stamping the card backs, of which I’ve earned the name “Super Stamper” from Sandy due to my ability to stamp about 2 cards a second in sets of about 30. But the best part of card making is spending time with my mother <3
OWHtv 100th Episode! Let’s party!
The episode in which the disco ball appears!!! Be sure to leave your shout out on the YouTube page to qualify to WIN!
I forgot to mention while making this card (I think!) that the eagle AND sentiments are from Stampers Best – and they’re fundraiser stamps, so they benefit OWH!
Midweek Throwdown So Sentimental
Thanks for a great challenge last week, your cards were fabulous and will be so appreciated!
Our challenge this week is So Sentimental!
We’re challenging you to use a sentiment on your card as your focal point for our heroes to send home to their family and friends!
We can’t wait to see your card creations -
Our sample card maker for this challenge is Abbie, you have to go visit her Flickr account, she makes beautiful cards!
Oh! I know it’s a Mother’s Day card and the deadline and holiday have come and gone but I think it’s a great example of using a sentiment as a focal point!
Thanks Abbie for sharing your awesome creativity with us!
YOUR TURN
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!
Tutorial: The Cling Mount Lesson
Welcome everyone – this weeks’ tutorial is a review of the video for mounting your red rubber stamps. You might find the opportunity to purchase stamps at a savings when they are unmounted. Some people are wary of this because they don’t want to mount their own, but it really isn’t a big deal, and it is worth the savings! This lesson shows how to accomplish mounting, plus some info about “deep etching” and also a great stamp storage idea!
This is one of Sandy’s older videos so please note that the “giveaway” at the end of the video is expired. Aww, shucks. 
Here is the video:
Stamper’s Best is the source for our freebie OWH stamp for the backs of your cards! If you don’t have one, be sure to get in your request here. There are many others available at the Stamper’s Best website, including a whole line of Operation Write Home stamps that can be seen here. Best of all, they donate a dollar for the purchase of every OWH fundraiser stamp sold.
Just a head’s up… I know that a lot of us collected the adorable Ciara stamp from Stamper’s Best when she first came out. We’ll be using this stamp for a fun tutorial in June for Flag Day. Just wanted to give everyone time to pick up this stamp if you would like to play along!
Thanks, Sandy for the great video for review this week! Keep those tutorial ideas and submissions coming by emailing me – nancy @ operationwritehome dot org.
One lovely card…one long journey!
Do you remember wayyyyy back in January when we made THIS announcement about our 2 millionth card? If not – watch the video! Kleenex alert….
And now…after a ridiculously long journey overseas and back home…the two millionth card made it back! While we know our cards can sometimes make a quick round-trip, some just take months to arrive! It’s awesome to have cards that don’t have the holiday or season in the sentiment – because even if you’re making a “spring” card because it’s spring here…by the time our heroes may get it and it’s returned home, it could even be fall. We really appreciate your help in making sure anything for a holiday or season beats the posted deadlines….pssst Father’s Day’s done, if anyone still wondered
The 2 millionth card was received by a very happy wife who just sent us the photo…
THANK YOU for making our extraordinary milestone possible – with both your cards AND your financial gifts to help keep things moving!
