Wrapping Things Up, Part II

As promised, here are a few more samples of cards I sent to Operation Write Home this week. As it turned out, I had to use more than one box - I had more than I thought!

Thanks for taking the time to look!

Immi

Wrapping Things Up

Today marks the end of something I've enjoyed. For several years, I've been making cards for Operation Write Home. This is an organization that has collected hand-made cards from volunteers and sent them on to military personnel who can then use them to send home a card for a special occasion or just to let their loved ones know they miss them and are thinking of them.

I've lost track of how many cards I've sent, but it's been in the thousands - and I've enjoyed every minute of it! Currently, the number of units requesting cards has dropped dramatically. The decision has been made to suspend operations and all remaining cards from volunteers are due by August 1. I decided that I would be done when I used up all my OWH stickers (required for the back of the card).

Here are a few cards that I'll be sending in my box this week.

Since there are several cards, I won't go through all the steps of making them. I used a variety of techniques and had some fun trying new things. I'll post the rest later this week.

Till next time,

Immi

Challenge: O is for...

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is to be inspired by the letter "O". I always enjoy seeing the different interpretations that the blog design team shows us to get things going.

I chose to let "O" represent the color orange. It's a nice fall color, although the card I made doesn't have an autumn feeling at all. Here it is:

This was a fun technique-driven card. I made the background using a stencil and Distress Ink. The sentiment panel was made by smudging various Distress Inks on an acrylic block that had gridlines on it. After applying the inks, it was sprayed with water and pressed onto some watercolor paper. I really like the colorful background it created, and it was super easy. The sentiment was  stamped with Versafine black ink and layered onto the orange background. The card base is a light green cardstock.

This card went in a box for Operation Write Home.

I hope you can do something fun and creative today!

Immi

Mission: Stash Reduction - Belated Father's Day

Hi, all. Although Father's Day has come and gone, I did make some cards that I sent off to Operation Write Home that I meant to post. I am still working my way through papers that I'd like to use up, and enjoying stamps I haven't touched in a while. Here's a sample of some cards I made.

These cards are part of a larger group of miscellaneous cards I made using up a sheet of dimensional white letter stickers, called "Thickers". I'd had them so long that the adhesive on the back of the letters wasn't very good anymore, but I hated to throw them away. So I laboriously put drops of a strong liquid adhesive on the backs of the letters, then weighted each card down with books. (I keep a box full of old telephone books just for this purpose.) I always put a sheet of waxed paper between the project I'm drying and the book so that if any adhesive leaks out, it won't make my project stick to the book. Although it took some time, I was very pleased with the results of the white letters against darker backgrounds. Can you tell that I cheated on the second card and used "p" stickers upside down in place of "d"?

The next two cards make use of some Stampin' Up! sets I have. I stamped with Ranger Archival Ink (it won't bleed when it comes in contact with water) and used a brush loaded with inks diluted with water to color the images. Very quick, easy, and I love doing it!

I hope some of our military personnel enjoyed sending these cards home.

Till next time,

Immi

Mission: Stash Reduction

Here are a few more cards I've made recently, trying to find ways to use some of my "stuff". These aren't going to win any awards, but they are still fun to do. I've also enjoyed using stamps that have been gathering dust for a while.

The stamp of the little boy splashing in the rain (from Stampin' Up!) makes me smile. This stamp is part of a set that I've had for a loooong time. I pulled out my colored pencils and had some good old-fashioned coloring fun with it.

Next is a card with very little stamping (just the thx), but several layers - an excellent way to use up that paper! I also pulled out some washi tape and a button to add some interest.

This last card has a similar look to the last one, with layers, washi tape and a button. I created my own patterned paper (the blue) by stamping with a very similar color to the background.

All these cards will go to Operation Write Home. I hope they are enjoyed by someone else!

Happy Crafting!

Immi

Mission: Stash Reduction

Do you remember the show "Mission Impossible"? At the beginning, Mr. Phelps would receive a message explaining the situation and prompting a decision whether or not to accept the mission. This is the scenario I'm imagining myself in right now...

"Good morning, Immi. You have before you a stash of paper crafting products. Some of these products were purchased for specific projects, never completed. Others were purchased on a whim, and now you can't remember why. Your mission, Immi, should you choose to accept it, is to reduce this stash. In order to accomplish this task, you will need a two-pronged approach. One, you must think of ways to use these products; two, you will need to get busy creating. This tape will self destruct in five seconds.....

Okay, so it's more than a little silly, but I really have been in the mood to do some stash reduction. I see this topic come up often on blogs, so I know I'm not alone in my struggle. When you've been crafting for a while, you tend to accumulate lots of "stuff". When the stuff starts to become stressful, it's time to clean house! That's the idea behind my plan to begin showing some of the projects I'm doing to work towards this goal. As I'm doing it, I also plan to work in sessions of taking a good hard look at what to keep and what to purge.

Here are some cards I made recently. These will go to Operation Write Home. As you can see, I used up lots of little odds & ends and had some fun at the same time. The tags used on these cards all came from the Dollar Spot at Target. The sentiments on the cards are from stamp sets made by Hero Arts with Operation Write Home in mind.

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I'll be back soon with more cards to share. Until then, Happy Crafting!

Immi

Playing with Watercolor

I had some fun today visiting several blogs on a blog hop featuring the new spring releases from Simon Says Stamp. I enjoyed seeing all the different ways the artists used the new items. Several of the blogs featured videos showing how the cards were made. One of those bloggers, Kristina Werner, used a technique I wanted to try right away (follow the link if you'd like to see her video). Although it's not a new technique, I hadn't worked with it before, but I found it to be easy and fun. 

Here's what you need for the technique:

• A Ranger Craft Sheet
• Distress Inks (your choice of colors)
• Water in a spray bottle
• Watercolor Paper

Press the ink pads down on the craft sheet to leave some of the color on the surface. Spray liberally with water; then begin pressing the watercolor paper down into the ink. Dry with a heat gun or allow to air dry, then continue pressing the paper down into the inks to get a beautiful, multicolored look.

I used some of my Sizzix dies to cut out shapes, then made several cards. Since the watercolor paper is heavy, I find that I need a heavier adhesive to get it to stick well to the card. I would recommend either Glossy Accents by Ranger or Diamond Glaze by JudiKins. They both are excellent as a strong adhesive or to add a shiny, glossy coat to an embellishment.

Here are the cards I made this afternoon:

All these cards are destined for Operation Write Home, to be sent to American troops for them to use as mail home to family and friends.

Happy crafting!
Immi